NaruHina Bring Me To Life
by JakeNova
Summary: With Konoha in grave danger, Naruto and Hinata are among the ninja sent to face it. But when events brings Hinata's feelings for Naruto into play, could their relationship be brought to a whole new level? Inspired by "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence.
1. Chapter 1: Wake Me Up

Bring Me To Life

A NaruHina Fanfic

By JakeNova

Chapter 1

Wake Me Up

"Move! Get outta the way!" Her angry voice cleared the hallway much more efficiently than Shizune's small form and soft voice ever could have. Tsunade stormed down the hallway of the all too familiar Konoha Hospital, approaching her destination. She kept telling herself it couldn't be true, that somehow this was just some kind of crazy dream. She had to admit though, it was a little more believable than the news of Jiraiya's death. Even now though, the thought of the stupid pervert and how much she really cared about him was pushed aside by this more recent news. It wasn't that she prided herself as an instructor to that point, or that she believed her young apprentace was invincible. But of all people...

Naruto had apparently gotten there before her somehow, though it didn't seem by much. Somehow, his messy hair was even messier than usual, and he was wearing nothing more than a thin, loose T-shirt with some kind of swirl symbol on the back, and some loose shorts. She also noted that he was barefoot. These things, combined with his quickly moving chest as he drew in struggled breaths, confirmed that he had arrived only moments ago. Despite these little details having been silently noted in her mind, Tsunade pushed Naruto aside as if he wasn't there at all. He didn't respond much, but just joined her in staring at the form that lay in the hospital bed. Even with the evidence right before their eyes, they still couldn't believe it.

The strange shade of pink fell all around her face in messy strands and across her pillow as Sakura lay, unconscious, in the bed, her faded breaths slightly fogging the mask that covered her mouth and nose.

"H-how..." Was all Tsunade could say, after they had watched the somewhat hypnotic display of Sakura's slow breaths for a few minutes. The Heart Monitor that joined the two blondes at the bedside barely registered the girl's beats. She was alive, it seemed. But just barely. Her youthful face was nearly masked by several bandages on her cheeks and forehead, as well as one that encased her entire neck. Tsunade shuddered to think the extent of the bindings that were necessary to keep this girl's body together under that blanket.

Naruto just shook his head at her whispered question.

"I...I don't know. I was told about it by Ino..." He paused, losing himself in Sakura's closed eyes for a moment, "She just said that she saw them bring Sakura in..." Tsunade looked at Naruto, impatiently waiting for more, "It was hard to tell what she said exactly, since she was crying, but she said there was a lot of blood. And..." He paused yet again, looking down at the metal frame at the foot of the bed

"And what?!" Tsunade growled, anxious to hear what could've possibly beat her beloved apprentice. Even now, Tsunade wasn't sure she herself could've beat Sakura very easily. The girl was very talented and had far superior control over her chakra. Her drive to become stronger was also something Tsunade had never seen before in her life. Naruto just looked up at her, surprised that she was so intently looking at him.

"Oh...nothing. She just said she was really injured somehow. And she kept talking about all the blood. She just kept repeating that most of the time. There's nothing else." Tsunade sighed and looked back at Sakura. She would never in a million years think that anything could happen to Sakura like this. It was just too unbelievable. It was almost...silly.

"Well..." She said finally, "It seems she's in a stable condition." Tsunade reached over and felt the girls face, resting her hand on Sakura's four-finger forehead gently, glancing again at the Heart Monitor. "I'd say she'll wake up in a few days. Perhaps she can tell us what happened exactly then. I'm going to stay here at the hospital to oversee her condition personally. For now, you need to go about your business as usual Naruto." The boy's jaw dropped and he shoved his palms outward expressively, all of which went unnoticed by the woman in the green robe.

"What?! But I wanna make sure she's okay too! I'm not just going to pretend she isn't hurt!" He rebelled. Tsunade shot him a glare that made him freeze stiff.

"She'll be fine. I promise." Tsunade said simply. Shizune stepped forward towards Naruto.

"Naruto, please do as Lady Tsunade says. I'm sure Sakura will be okay." She reached out a gentle hand towards the boy, bidding him forward. A deep frown carved into his face and he stood firm, shaking his head defiantly. Shizune's expression hardened and she forcibly took Naruto's wrist, surprising him with her strength.

"Do not think you are the only one who cares." She warned. Naruto's expression softened into surprise, and he glanced at the Fifth Hokage, realizing what Shizune meant. Finally, the two of them left the room, the chamber becoming silent as the master gazed down at her student, tears in her eyes.

------------------------------

Two days later an anxious Naruto could be seen barreling down the streets of Konoha, making his way through the maze of buildings toward the hospital. This time he was fully dressed in his orange garb, minus the headband. Tearing around corner after corner, the citizens of Konoha were nothing more than a blur. His only focus was that one particular bed in the depths of the hospital. Finally, the news had come.

Sakura had awakened.

Of course, because of his single-mindedness on his goal, he couldn't have possibly seen what awaited him around a particular corner only blocks from the hospital. This unforeseen thing hit him literally like a brick wall and sent him sprawling onto the ground, dazed. Slowly he began to realize that the thing he had run into had been one of those "blurs" and was actually a blur he knew very well.

"N-Naruto??" Hinata was rubbing her head, supporting her weight on her other hand as she sat in the dirt. The boy blinked once and leapt up. Even now, he hadn't lost focus on his goal, and started forward, grabbing Hinata's uplifted hand.

"C'mon Hinata! Sakura's woken up!" Rather than wait to apologize, or even help her to her feet properly, Naruto decided unconsciously that Hinata must want to see Sakura too, and so dragged the girl to her feet as he continued onward. As the Hyuuga heiress stumbled behind him, she couldn't help but focus on the fact that his hand still clutched hers. She knew it didn't mean anything to him, and shouldn't have meant something to her, but she couldn't help but smile slightly, her head ringing with "_Naruto's holding my hand..._"

Naruto only released the lavender-eyed girl's hand when they finally burst into the hospital room of Haruno Sakura. This time, Naruto appeared to be the last one there, and everyone else in the room turned to look at the two newcomers, surprised by the noisy entrance.

Gathered in the room were none other thank Kakashi Hatake, Shizune, and of course, Tsunade. Kakashi was leaning casually against the wall next to the window, his book safely tucked away in his bag for once, while Tsunade and Shizune stood next to the side of the bed closest to the door, effectively blocking Naruto's view of his remaining teammate. Both Tsunade and Shizune gave him strange looks, having taken notice of Hinata. Naruto had only just released her hand, and the girl was holding it close to her chest behind him, her face warm.

"Well? Well? What'd I miss? What happened??" Naruto asked frantically, making his way around the end of the bed, past Kakashi. Hinata followed him a bit more cautiously.

"You didn't miss anything. She wouldn't tell us anything." Kakashi replied. Naruto looked into the warm face of Sakura wide-eyed, and she smiled at him faintly.

"Hi Naruto." Her green eyes smiling wider than her mouth was able to at the moment. He grinned back.

"Hi Sakura." He replied cheerfully, then his face dropped. "Wait, she wouldn't tell you? Why?" He asked, turning towards Kakashi. Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but another voice cut in.

"Because." Sakura started, her head had dropped sadly, "I wanted you to be here for this." She fell silent then, and it wasn't long before Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

"What? What happened, Sakura? Who's the bastard that did this to you?!!" He cried. If her head hadn't been lowered and her pink locks hadn't shrouded her face, Naruto would have seen Sakura's eyes brimming with tears. Finally, she whispered only one name.

"Sasuke."


	2. Chapter 2: Bid My Blood To Run

Chapter 2

Bid My Blood To Run

"What?!" Naruto outright shouted, while the other's simply gawked at Sakura. She remained limp, her head lowered, while every now and then the sparkle of a tear could be seen staining her sheets. She wrung the cloth that covered her tightly, and her emotion could be told by the Heart Monitor's quickening pace.

"Sakura, is that true?" Kakashi asked. Naruto clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, something Hinata noticed, and she furrowed her brow with concern for him. The other's still watched Sakura, astounded by the news. Slowly, the girl raised her head and lowered it a few times. No sooner had she done so, Naruto couldn't contain himself anymore.

"Sasuke?!! He...he's the one who...? HE did this to you?!" He barked. Again, Sakura nodded slowly. Finally she looked up at him, the tears suddenly finding resistance in their journey to her sheets, and proceeding to forge new paths down her cheeks.

"Naruto...I'm so sorry..." She choked, "I...I shouldn't have..." She trailed off, and Tsunade put a hand on her arm.

"Shouldn't have what, Sakura? What happened?" Sakura sucked in a breath, preparing herself both mentally and emotionally to relay the tale. Feebly, she lifted a bandaged arm and rubbed at her eyes, forcing her gaze to return to Naruto.

"About a week ago, I received a tip while on a mission as to the wherabouts of Sasuke. At first, I couldn't believe it myself, but the source assured me that it was true. He said that if I wanted to find the snake, I had to look in the rocks." Naruto blinked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Look in the rocks? The snake? What kind of riddle is that?" Kakashi sighed audibly at this. Obviously, Naruto was the only one that didn't get it.

"The 'snake' is Sasuke, and the 'rocks' are..."

"Iwagakure..." Tsunade finished for him. Sakura nodded.

"The Village Hidden in the Rocks, in the Land of Earth." Hinata chimed in. The riddle finally dawned on Naruto, and he returned to Sakura.

"Right. That's what I figured too."

"And how did you know that your source was so reliable?" Tsunade asked. Sakura looked at her weakly, raising a small fist.

"Because...he was on his last breath." Both master and pupil smiled, and Sakura looked back at Naruto.

"I'm sorry I didn't contact you, Naruto. I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." Her face, which had been momentarily dried, was introduced to fresh tears now. "...I...I just...I don't know...I thought maybe...maybe I could convince him. And...there wasn't a lot of time...I thought..." She choked out a sob, "...I thought I was strong enough..."

That was one riddle Naruto understood. Sakura didn't mean just physical strength. She had hoped she was strong enough emotionally, not to break down in front of the one she loved. She thought she had been strong enough to maintain her composure, and show Sasuke how much she had grown. She thought that somehow, in these last three years, she had become smart enough to come up with enough reasons, with the right reasons, to make him come back of his own will. Obviously, she was wrong.

"Sakura..." Naruto started.

"But I wasn't! I wasn't strong enough! I...I couldn't convince him to come home....I was still...too weak..." There was a long silence in the room as Sakura worked up enough energy to continue.

"...So..." She sobbed, "When...I couldn't convince him with words...I tried...I tried to stop him...with my own power..." Her head, which had dropped again, now rose again at Naruto, "Just like...just like you did, Naruto..." Her lip trembled, "But...of course I couldn't stop him...I...I'm not even as strong as you were...at that time..." She lifted her hands to her face, crying openly. Hinata bit her lip, finding it hard to see someone so upset. Naruto just frowned, his eyes lowered, as the memories of that time flashed back.

"No, Sakura. You're much stronger than I was back then." She looked up at Naruto, her tear-stained face showing surprise. "But...so is Sasuke..." He finished. She suddenly thrust her right fist into the sheets beside her, causing the entire bed to shake violently.

"But I couldn't just let him go! I...I couldn't just let him leave when he was so..." The lump in her throat burned painfully and she was forced to pause, "He was right there, Naruto...I could touch him! I couldn't just let him go, even if I couldn't stop him by force! I had to try! You have to under...understand...!!" Her hand flew to her throat and she winced, clenching her teeth. Naruto was silent for a moment. But he wasn't the only one hit by her words. Hinata looked down at the floor, Sakura's words reminding her of what she had thought herself many times before. Even now, Naruto was right there. Just like Sakura said, she could touch him. And she too, couldn't just let him go. Not without doing everything she could to try...to try and tell him how she felt. She shook her head inwardly. This obviously wasn't the right time for a confession. But she did think of something she icould/i do.

"Sakura..." Naruto breathed, "I understand...more than you could know." He said grimly. "I don't blame you at all. In fact...I'm a little jealous..." Sakura's eyes widened, "Since that time...I've wanted to show Sasuke how much stronger I've gotten too. Even though you got hurt...you got to try..." Naruto fell silent, and the bond that he and Sakura shared also let Sakura know that there was more to Naruto's words than what he said. Sasuke was like a brother to Naruto, after all...like an older brother even. And like any younger brother who's constantly trying to surpass the older one, Naruto wants to show Sasuke how strong he's gotten these last three years. He wants to see if he can finally beat him. Somehow, that feeling was more powerful than even the wish for the third member of Team Seven to return to Konoha.

"Well, you might just get your chance, Naruto." Sakura replied, and this time Naruto's eyes widened. "He's coming here, to Konoha. He told me...that he wants revenge...on all of us." Everyone in the room felt their heart skip a beat.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked. Sakura shook her head.

"I...I don't know. He said that the blood of the Uchiha will drown even the tallest tree. I don't know what he means...does he think that Konoha had something to do with the Uchiha's massacre? Everyone knows that it was..."

"Itachi." Naruto spat.


	3. Chapter 3: Before I Come Undone

Chapter 3

Before I Come Undone

"Well, that's fine then, if he comes here! Saves me the trouble of finding that jerk!" Naruto pounded one fist into his palm to demonstrate his excitement. Kakashi pushed off the wall with his shoulders and stood erect.

"Naruto's right. If Sasuke thinks he can come here and take revenge on Konoha just like that, with all of us here, he'll just be walking into his own death. He may be strong, but he'll never beat all of us by himself." Naruto grinned. It wasn't often he was told he was right.

"But he's not alone. He's got others with him. He's assembled a team for the sole purpose of taking on Konoha. They're all very powerful. And...he's got the Akatsuki on his side too." Naruto's grin quickly faded. They all knew how powerful each and every member of the Akatsuki was.

"Still, Konoha's stronger than Akatsuki. Stronger than Sasuke and his new friends. We can still take him down!" Naruto tried to remain hopeful, but they all knew that there was a good chance he was wrong. Konoha wasn't as strong as it used to be.

"We can't take that chance." Tsunade said directly. "We can't let him reach Konoha." She straightened, "So! I'm putting together two teams! One will intercept Sasuke and stop him from reaching Konoha, while the other will search out any remaining Akatsuki members and destroy them. This is a battle that we cannot afford to have take place here. Orochimaru nearly took down Konoha for good, and Sasuke's the one who beat him. Who knows what he could do..." Sakura looked at her sheets again, trying again to think of how the person they had once called comrade could be the one trying to destroy them.

"We're not taking any chances this time. Shizune, who's available right now?" Shizune was startled as the conversation suddenly turned to her, and it took her a minute to find her voice. She fumbled through the pages of her clipboard before speaking.

"W-well, let's see. Shikamaru's leading a B-rank mission right now. And Gai's team is also off on a mission. Most of the jounin and chuunin in the village are also taking care of their own missions...um...we're just stretched too thin Lady Tsunade." Tsunade didn't look pleased.

"I didn't ask who wasn't here. I asked who was available. Who ido/i we have?" Shizune quickly thumbed through more papers.

"Uh...Kurenai's team is on standby. So is Team Kakashi of course. Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino are here too. Um...other than that...there isn't really anyone else..." Shizune bit her lip at the facts that had left her lips. Tsunade sighed.

"Damnit...this is not a good time for everyone to be gone like that." She muttered, then louder, "But it can't be helped! Then it'll have to be two teams of four!"

"Four?!" Sakura exclaimed, "But, if that's everyone, that makes nine of us!" Tsunade shot her a glare.

"You're in no condition to be fighting Sakura. I'm not letting you go on this mission. You've done your part." Naruto's brow furrowed.

"But Grandma! Sakura wants to stop Sasuke too! She deserves-"

"I understand." Sakura's whisper somehow cut off Naruto's outburst. Naruto looked at her, bewildered.

"I'm sorry Naruto." She said once again, tears sparkling in her eyes, but this time a small smile stretched her lips. "I know...I know I promised that next time we'd do it together but..." She paused, choking up a bit, "Just...just bring him home, okay? Don't...don't kill him unless you have to..." Naruto nodded.

"Don't worry! I'll bring that idiot home no matter what! Promi-"

"No. No promises." Sakura again cut him off. The energy drained from Naruto's body, "Not this time. I don't know if...if I can take any more disappointment..." She laid her hands in her lap, "This time...I won't be expecting anything..." Her smile grew a bit somehow, even as the tears spilled onto her cheeks, "Just...do your best! Okay?" Naruto looked down, but he soon returned her smile.

"Okay."

"Now," Tsunade continued, "In order to find the Akatsuki, that team needs to be able to track people very well. So, I'm assigning Kurenai's team to that task since they have the best abilities to do that. Then the other four that will intercept Sasuke will be Naruto, Kakashi, Chouji, and Ino. Got it?" Naruto moved his hand to salute the Hokage, eager to start the task, but a voice, normally quiet and unsure, froze his hand midair.

"No!" Hinata suddenly shouted out. Upon hearing the news of the team assignments, she had been disappointed not to be paired with Naruto yet again, but besides that, it ruined her chances of doing what she had decided she could still do. The group looked at her, surprised at the voice that came from the shy girl. Hinata's face immediately turned red from the attention and she looked down.

"I-I mean..." She shook her head furiously, fighting off the embarassment. It was now or never! "If I could...I would like to be on the team that goes after Sasuke." Tsunade raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip, surprised mostly at the girl's objection. Though, she could see the reason why, or so she thought.

"And why is that?" The Fifth prodded, expecting the girl to blush and look away. But...she didn't.

"Because..." Hinata looked Tsunade straight in the eye, "Because Naruto and Sakura have been through so much because of Sasuke. I...I just want to do what I can to help them win this time. As it stands, Sasuke's group could very well sense our approach long before we reach them, and then simply avoid us and continue on. If I...if I went with them...I could help...with my power I could make sure we find him..." Her resolve was teetering, but Hinata stood firm. If it was for Naruto, she could do it. She had to...

"I'm sorry...but, I need to do this..." Hinata said a bit more quietly, "If I don't go after Sasuke...then I will have to...I'll refuse the mission!" She finished strongly. Naruto was in awe at the girl, as were most in the room.

"Hinata..." Was all he could manage to say. It was unexpected to say the least, to see the Hyuuga girl speaking up so defiantly. Usually she just went along with everything. Tsunade still didn't look sure though. Sakura could see though, and she understood Hinata's reasoning perfectly. This was about more than just finding Sasuke. It was finally time. Hinata had finally decided to do the thing she couldn't do before. She just needed this chance.

"I agree." Sakura said suddenly. Tsunade looked at her questioningly. "With her eyes, Hinata could ensure that they find Sasuke before he reaches here, better than Ino could. And isn't stopping Sasuke more important than finding Akatsuki? We don't know for sure if Akatsuki is coming to Konoha as well. The priority is stopping Sasuke, who iis/i on his way here as we speak, is it not?" Tsunade let out another sigh.

"Fine. Hinata will replace Yamanaka Ino on this mission, and vice versa. Are we all satisfied then?" She asked impatiently. After a few nods Tsunade folded her arms.

"Then split up and get prepared. I want you all out of here as soon as you are able, got it?" There was a chorus of yes's and the ninja began to leave the hospital room. Hinata took a glance back at Sakura, having realized Sakura's reasoning for backing her up, and gave her a thankful smile. The pink-haired kunoichi just nodded and smiled warmly.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out one more time. The boy stopped at the doorway, and looked back. "Good luck!" He grinned.

"Yep!"


	4. Chapter 4: Call My Name

Chapter 4

Call My Name

About one hour later both Team A and Team B had been assembled at Konoha's front gate. Tsunade had joined them there too, as did Shizune, to wish them off. This was perhaps the most critical mission Konoha had faced as of yet, and most of the ninja that were assigned to it had been nothing more than rookies no more than three years ago. The Fifth Hokage still wished she could have sent more with them, but they just didn't have the resources.

"You all understand what your duties are, correct?" Tsunade asked one last time. They nodded. "Remember, the most important thing to keep in mind is teamwork. Without each other, you don't stand a chance alone. We're all counting on you to complete this, so do your best! I will be sending any ninja I can after you as soon as they are available. Good luck, to all of you." Tsunade finished. With this pep talk burning in their hearts, the Konoha Shinobi departed their hometown to protect that which they loved.

--------------------------------

"Sasuke, wait." Karin piped up from behind him. The group stopped and waited for her to continue, their shadows extending far from the setting sun.

"What is it?" He asked darkly. Sasuke had been in a foul mood ever since the battle against Sakura. Even though he had fought her one-on-one, he had won the fight easily enough. But still, he couldn't help but be bothered by the appearance of his old teammate, as well as the words she had said. He wasn't deaf, and he had internalized everything that left her lips.

"It's just..." Karin paused, closing her eyes, "I sense someone coming this way. Four to be exact. They're...they're still a few miles away, but they're getting closer. And..." She paused, not sure how he would react to her last bit of news, "They're coming from the direction of Konoha." Everyone looked at Sasuke immediately, but he made no reaction to the news. He just...stood there, silent, for a long time.

"Fine..." Was all he said finally, and started walking again. In his mind, he knew why they were coming, Sakura had told them, and he just knew he'd be seeing more familiar faces very shortly. Particularly one with gritted teeth and whisker-like marks on either cheek. Because he was in front, he let himself crack a small smile, since no one would see his face. Naruto.

After all of the battles he had fought recently, Sasuke couldn't help but feel proud of himself. He would even dare to say he felt...invincible. He had beaten Orochimaru, the one man that no one could beat. And not only had he beaten him, but he had beaten him at his own game. Sasuke had been the one to absorb the white snake's power, and because of it, he had become so much stronger. Then there was the fight with Itachi. His own brother, whom he had vowed to kill even as a child. After so many years of hard work, he had completed his revenge on the man that wiped out his clan. Despite the fact that he had learned the truth about his brother, and felt bad for knowing how Itachi had lived such a ravenous life just for his sake, it was still a major victory for him. Then finally, he had defeated the Jinchuuriki of the Eight-Tailed demon. Every single one of these battles were against opponents that were previously thought unbeatable. Yet, Sasuke had beaten all of them with his power. Needless to say, he was on a roll. And after learning about the secret power of his Sharingan, he even knew how to beat Naruto.

Now, he was headed for Konoha, to complete a much larger revenge, and restore the reputation of his clan. And no one, not even Naruto, was going to stand in his way. Even thinking this though, he had to admit he was feeling a bit excited about seeing Naruto again. Although, he wasn't sure if it was because he wanted to see the look on his face when Sasuke beat him easily, or if somehow he still had feelings of friendship with the dunce buried deep in him, and that the thought of seeing his old friends face would be pleasantly nostalgic.

Either way, if it was Naruto coming after them at this time, then Sasuke wanted to face him alone. So he came up with a strategy to do just that.

-------------------------------------------

"Hinata! Anything yet?!" Naruto barked from up ahead. The Hyuuga girl was at the back of their group, trailing a bit from exhaustion. All this time, she had not turned off her Byakugan even once. She had chosen to be with Naruto and his team, and she had to be as helpful as she could possibly be. She couldn't let him down. She couldn't let even one thing slip past her.

"Naruto! Stop pestering her! You're wearing her out!" Kakashi called from the right. "You ask that every five minutes!" Naruto was silent.

"I-It's okay. I'm fine." Hinata insisted. Even though she knew she wasn't. She could feel the drops of sweat running down her forehead and she was getting a headache from the strain on her eyes. Still, she focused as hard as she could to see everywhere at once, and finally shook her head once more.

"Nothing." She reported. Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Damnit! Where's Sasuke?! It's getting dark!" He complained, frustrated. Somehow, Hinata couldn't help but feel as though this was her fault. If she could just see a bit farther, maybe she would be able to see him, and then Naruto wouldn't be so frustrated. That's what she thought. Suddenly, Kakashi purposefully missed the limb of an incoming tree, and dropped to the forest floor. It took a moment, but eventually even Chouji was gathered with him.

"Why did we stop?!" Naruto asked impatiently, "We still haven't even caught sight of-"

"Hinata..." Kakashi said calmly, ignoring Naruto. She looked up, surprised. "Just once more...can you try to see where Sasuke is?" She nodded.

"Of course." With the last bit of chakra, she pushed her Byakugan farther than ever before. She had to see him this time. For Naruto. And then...she did. At the very limit of her Byakugan's range, she could make out the chakra of four people, and on closer inspection, found it to be Sasuke's group. She was so surprised it took her a moment to report.

"Uh...I...I see him!" She exclaimed. Naruto's face brightened, and finally Hinata had to let her Byakuga fade from exhaustion. Kakashi and Chouji looked surprised as well.

"R-Really Hinata?!" Naruto asked excitedly. She smiled, happy to see him happy, and nodded.

"Y-Yes. He's very far away. I'm not sure how many miles." There was an audible sigh of relief from Kakashi.

"Is he on the move?" The jounin asked.

"No. They've stopped too. Probably for the night." She answered. He nodded.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"Alright! Now's our chance to gain on him! Let's go!" Naruto cheered.

"We're setting up camp for the night." Kakashi stated, straightening and stretching a bit. Naruto looked utterly defeated.

"What?! But this is-"

"We're exhausted Naruto." Kakashi's only remaining exposed eye looked at Hinata. "All of us are. We're setting up camp. That's the end of it." He slipped off his pack and let it fall to the ground. Hinata looked down. She knew he was right, that she was very tired, but she also hated that he was right. She hated being so weak. Kakashi looked at Chouji.

"Chouji, would you please make us some dinner? I hear you're a good cook, and I think we'll all need a good meal for tomorrow." Chouji threw up a hand in salute.

"Yep! I'll take care of it!" The Akimichi boy responded.

"Good. I'll help you do that." He turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I need you and Hinata to go get some firewood. Can you handle that much?" Naruto frowned.

"...Fine." He finally replied.

"And don't even think about running off to catch Sasuke by yourself. I can trust you to stop him if he does, can't I, Hinata?" Kakashi asked gently, a bit of humor in his voice. She hesitated, then nodded with a smile.

"Of course."

----------------------------------------------------

"It's getting late. We'd better stop for the night." Kurenai decided. Her group had been traveling non-stop, even as the moon rose, towards Amegakure. According to the reports, there were only five Akatsuki left. Tobi, Pein, Konan, Kisame, and Zetsu. After hearing about Jiraiya's death, they figured their best chance at running into an Akatsuki member would be to head for village of eternal rain, Pein's domain, Amegakure. Jiraiya had gone in alone, and that had been his demise. But, if it was the four of them, and with Jiraiya's riddle answered, they stood a good chance at defeating Pein.

iThe real one isn't with them.../i

Kurenai repeated the words in her mind as she came to a stop on the ground. She had only just been informed of the code and it's answer shortly before leaving. By force of habit she placed one hand on her rather large stomach while she thought. Kiba, Shino, and Ino had gathered before her by now.

"Whatcha thinking about, Sensei?" Kiba asked, breaking the silence. Akamaru panted behind him.

"Oh," She blinked, "N-nothing. Just that code that Jiraiya left behind after he fought Pein is all. Do you all remember what they told us the answer was? We need to remember that if we're going to stand a chance at this."

"Tch, what's this 'we' stuff, Sensei?" Kiba asked with a smirk.

"Yes, you are merely here to lead, Sensei." Shino agreed, "You are in no condition to do any fighting."

"Yeah, you gotta take care of the little one." Ino finished with a smile. Kurenai responded with a smile of her own.

"I know." She said thoughtfully. "Still, you do all remember it, don't you?" They nodded.

"iThe real one isn't with them./i" Ino started.

"That means that Jiraiya didn't fight the real Pein at all." Kiba continued.

"And Jiraiya knew every one of the 'Peins' from earlier times in his life. Which means..." Shino relayed.

"That the real Pein, with his Rin'negan, infiltrated Jiraiya's mind, looked at his memories, and then replicated them into his opponents appearances using Genjutsu to make him relive his own 'pain'." Kurenai finished. That was indeed what had been told to them by the Decoding Squad before they left. Of course, it could be speculation, but it was their best lead.

"Very good." She continued. "Now, let's set up camp for the night."


	5. Chapter 5: Free Me Tonight

Chapter 5

Free Me Tonight

"You know..." Hinata finally said a bit more quietly than intended. They had been walking through the forest for quite some time now, and neither of them had said a word, nor had they collected one piece of firewood. Every time Hinata stole a glance Naruto's way, his mouth was a carved frown, and his eyes were lowered. His hands were shoved into his pockets and she could hear him mumble every now and then. "...if you...that is, if you were to want to go after Sasuke right now...I...I wouldn't stop you, Naruto..." He looked at her at this point.

"Hinata..." He breathed. She looked down.

"I understand...how you feel..." She whispered. "To have someone you thought of as family treat you like nothing and abandon you..." She felt a shiver run through her spine and her eyes began watering. "...to...to want to be recognized for your accomplishments, but be constantly overshadowed by another...I know how that..." A lump began to grow in her throat, "I know how that feels, Naruto..." The blonde-haired boy, who had to this point been staring at her wide-eyed, looked down as well, and both their paces slowed considerably.

"So..." She choked out, "So if y-you wanted to go...I wouldn't stop you, like Kakashi wanted me to...if you wanted t-to go...I'd e-even go...w-with you if th-that's what y-you wanted..." She felt the tears finally overflow as the memories of her own childhood flooded her mind. "I...I just want you to...to know that...Naruto..." She finished. After this was said, she didn't dare look at him, not when she was crying. But because she didn't look, she was all the more surprised to feel something brush her cheek. Startled, she looked to see that Naruto had extended his hand over and was gently brushing away her tears.

"Hinata..." He said with a small smile, "Don't cry for me..." She felt her face warm up as she stared at his hand, which continued to fight back her tears. She felt like she couldn't breath at all, like she would suffocate if his hand remained there, but at the same time, she never wanted it to leave. She wanted to cry even more even just for the sole purpose of it meaning his hand would never leave.

"If I were to leave right now...and try to catch up to him. There's no way I could beat him, even with you there too. Not while he's with those other people. I want to go and find him more than anything right now. I want to leave right now and just...just find some way to bring him back. But...I'm not a kid anymore. I know that would just be suicide. I can't just rush into things this time...not like last time..." Naruto's voice trailed off and Hinata felt her heart fill with warmth. She had always admired Naruto's strength, even when he was young, and to see him mature like this...it was almost too much.

"But you're not alone this time..." She said after a small period of silence. She finished wiping her tears away and smiled at him. "This time, you've got Kakashi...and Chouji..." She paused, her heartbeat quickening, "...and you've got me." Suddenly, Hinata found that it was no longer difficult to speak around Naruto. Even like this, while they were alone together in the woods at night, with him right next to her, she somehow felt at ease. She felt...brave. Naruto blinked, and then he grinned for the first time since they left.

"Yeah, I guess I do." He sighed a relieved breath, and his mood seemed to have lifted up. "Thanks, Hinata..." He continued, "You always...I don't know...you just always seem to know just the right thing to say to cheer me up...You're the best, Hinata." He laughed a little bit and again the two fell silent. Hinata was at a loss for words. iThe best?!/i That's what he had said...he said she was...

Suddenly, Hinata felt her face cool off and her mind returned to Sakura's hospital room. There was a reason she had insisted on being with Naruto's group. She had to do it! It was the perfect time to do it! If she didn't do it now, she most likely wouldn't get a second chance. It seemed as though every nerve-ending in her body was screaming at her to make her move, and despite both her mind and her heart racing she felt somehow calm at the same time. Yes, this was the right time. Finally, the right time had come. She had to tell him...

"Naruto..." She started, her voice was a whisper, and at first she wasn't sure if he had even heard her. But then she sensed his eyes on her, and knew she had his attention. "...actually, I-I'm really jealous of you..."

"Jealous? How come?" Naruto asked. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Well, I...um, it's just..." at that moment, the bravery from before returned to her, and the words suddenly formed in her mouth, "We've known each other for a long time, right? And, I couldn't help but notice this...Naruto, you...you're really brave..." The words slid out nearly effortlessly. She could already predict his response, and her next words were already forming.

"Brave? Heh heh, well..." He grinned, "Why do you say that?"

"Because when you were little, I watched you, Naruto..." Her words came out without a single stutter, and she knew they couldn't be stopped now, "I watched the turmoil you went through...the way the other villagers treated you..." Naruto looked down as his own memories came to him, "...and I wanted to help you, to step up and be your friend, Naruto...to stop your pain..." She paused, putting together exactly how to say the next part, "But I couldn't. I wasn't...brave enough. Even though you were being put through all of that, and I was standing right there, on the sidelines, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything but watch you suffer..." She felt that painful lump returning, and she knew she had to finish soon or she would be unable to talk at all, "As a child, even through Ninja Academy, I just watched you from the background, wanting in my heart to help you...to be there by your side when others picked on you. When you got in trouble by Iruka-sensei, I wanted to be right there, getting in trouble with you. Anything, I wanted to do anything at all, just to help share your burden. But my feet were frozen and my tongue was bound. I don't know why, but I could never do it..."

"Hinata..." Was all Naruto could say. She still couldn't look at him...

"All this time, as we became genin, even up through the chuunin exams and when the Third Hokage died, I couldn't do anything more than give you a simple 'Hi' or a shy 'Hello'...no matter how much pain I could see you going through. That's why I'm jealous of you, Naruto. And I'm a little ashamed. All this time, you've grown up driven by your own will, driven by your own dreams...you didn't let anyone defeat you! No matter what they called you or what they did to you...you always kept going by your own power." The tears were returning, "While I...while I...I was so weak...that I looked up to you for strength. I had no confidence of my own, so all I could do was take confidence from you...use your strength as my own...because I had no strength of my own..." It was all pouring out now. Everything she had pent up inside over the years was released, and everything she had felt was leaving her lips beyond her control. Naruto had fallen completely silent, astonished that all this was coming from Hinata. Shy, little Hinata...

"When Sasuke left Konoha, and you returned from that mission empty-handed, I was so torn to see you in that kind of pain. Even if you tried to smile through it, I could always see the pain in your eyes. And still...I did nothing. I...I couldn't even say goodbye when you left with Jiraiya!" It was too much. Even though she couldn't stop them from coming, these words were her feelings, and like daggers, they were tearing her up inside as they forced their way out. She began crying freely now, no longer able to stop the oncoming tears, and raised her hands to her face in attempt to keep them at bay. Because of this, she was forced to fall silent for a moment. And in that moment, she felt two arms circle around her and pull her close to the body. Before she realized what was happening, Naruto had pulled her into an embrace.

"It's okay, Hinata. You didn't have to say goodbye..." He paused as she forced her sobs to quiet enough to hear him properly. "In fact, it's a good thing you didn't. I don't know if I can handle any more goodbyes, especially from you..." He whispered. She was stunned. Was it possible? All this time, had he really noticed her?! Could he really...? But, the words weren't done coming out of her mouth, and now that she had her tears under control, they were ready to come out again.

"But..." She started, looking up at him. For some reason, even though she could hear his heart beating, it was that close, she didn't feel embarrassed. Her face remained cool and her heart even began slowing down. "But Naruto! I...not even once did I help you! Not once...! All I could do was watch! I'm so weak..." She sobbed, "Even after you returned with Jiraiya after three years of training. All that time I had trained myself as hard as I could. I wanted to be stronger! I wanted to be able to welcome you back with open arms! And instead...instead I fainted at the first sight of you! I...couldn't...I'm still not strong enough...I still can't help you...I'm...useless..." Hinata hadn't even gotten to telling him her feelings for him, and already she could barely speak. Her lips felt numb, and her legs felt weak. To her astonishment, Naruto somehow saw her ability to stay upright was shaking, and still hugging her tightly, he lowered both of them to the ground, leaning his back against a tree.

"You're not weak, Hinata..." Naruto started, but she was too upset to listen.

"I am...I am Naruto..." One final push of tears came out of her as the most built up and strongest feelings forced their way from her heart and out her mouth, "I'm not even strong enough to tell you how I feel!" She cried, "Even after all this time, I can't even tell you that...that..." By sheer force of habit, her mouth hesitated at the mention of those sacred words. Countless nights had been spent dreaming of how she would finally tell him. But none of those dreams were like this...this was a nightmare. There was nothing romantic about the situation at all, not like she had dreamed, and she was a mess of tears. Even if she told him now, there's no way he'd return her feelings when she was like this. This wasn't...beautiful. But still, the last drop of the great waterfall of emotion sprung from her, completely outside of her own will.

"I love you." Her voice was a hoarse whisper, the lump in her throat nearly suffocating her. But, through all her emotional turmoil, Naruto still embraced her tightly. With those three words, Hinata's heart had left her. She felt lightheaded and sick to her stomach, and in her drained state, could not say any more. And so the two of them fell silent. Everything she had ever wanted to say to the "Maverick Ninja" was out in the open now. Her heart was on a silver platter, presented to Naruto for him to make a choice. Either he would accept the dish as it sat before him, bleeding and beating, or he would send it back to the kitchen, disgusted by its revolting appearance, and astonished by the sheer gesture of such a thing.

It was a long while after she said those last words before Naruto spoke again. Her tears seemed to have simply run out before then, and so they both just sat there, in the everlasting embrace, under that tree, in silence. She still wanted to cry. As she waited anxiously for his next words, she just knew he would rebuke her confession. She just knew he would tear her heart in two with his next words. She must appear so desperate. There was no way he'd ever......Then Naruto spoke at last.

"I know..." He said simply. Hinata's breath caught in her throat, and she pushed off of him enough to look at his face. "All this time..." He smiled down at her, "You didn't think I wouldn't notice such a strong bond? I didn't understand at first..." He paused, "But even I could feel you reaching out, in your own way...in your own way, you've always been there for me, been there with me..." His smile widened a bit, nervously, "I've always felt it...I'm just, sorry I didn't realize what it was sooner. I'm sorry, Hinata."

Then, like some kind of dream, Naruto let his head fall downward until his lips met Hinata's, and they shared their first kiss.


	6. Chapter 6: Breathe Into Me

Chapter 6

Breathe Into Me

"Why are you here?" He asked simply. He always said things as if he had no emotions at all, and that was part of why she liked talking to him so much. If she could get past the monotone, get him to show any emotion at all, a smile, a frown, a tear, then she would be the only one who had done it. She would be the only one he let in that far.

She stared at him with cold eyes, like a frozen ocean, her mind filled with anger but her thoughts surprisingly calm.

"You know why I'm here." She said, mocking his own simple tone. Her fists were clenched quite tightly, but at the same time she held her arms steady at her side, making sure to give no sign of the emotions her heart was screaming.

He sighed, "You know, I'm getting fed up with little game of yours. Both of you keep saying the same dumb things. Every time I see you, I never hear a 'Hello, how are you doing? Long time no see.' No, every time, it's the same thing. And I'm getting quite bored of it, Sakura." Sasuke sneered at her. She remembered now. That's the one time he ever showed emotion anymore. When he was causing pain and he knew it.

"It's not a game, Sasuke. You think we're playing?!" For a moment, she let a bit of her anger slip from her tongue, and she cursed herself for it. This time she was going to be strong. This time she wasn't going to let her emotions get in the way. She had to stay calm. It was a fact she had known since before she was even a genin and a large part of how she passed all the tests. A calm mind is a clear one. This wasn't a battle of emotion. Sasuke didn't care about her emotions, he made that painfully clear. She had to provide undeniable proof and reason to turn him. It was the last option.

"To be honest? You've always been playing." Sasuke retorted, his words slicing her. She gritted her teeth underneath closed lips. "All this time, you've just been playing. You've never been serious. All you care about is me. If you weren't playing ninja, if it was for real, you wouldn't be here right now." Sakura couldn't help but wince, his words stung that badly. He knew that his sharp tongue had cut her, and he had done it on purpose. After she said nothing for a while, he spoke again.

"Just go home, Sakura. Go play ninja with Naruto." He stated, turning from her. That slight motion, the fact that he had turned his back on her yet again, finally tore open her mouth. It was no use. With Sasuke, she couldn't hold it in.

"But I don't love him! Not the way I love you! Sasuke...I ilove/i you! Doesn't that mean anything? Even after all this time...my feelings for you have only grown! I want you to come back..." She paused, her eyes starting to water, "Because...I miss you..." Sasuke didn't move. "I miss you s-so much..." She couldn't help it. Her feelings overcame her and she fell to her knees in the dirt, her head down, clenching both arms tightly.

"Since you've been gone...I've been...so...so lonely, Sasuke..." She mumbled. He glanced back at her.

"You've had Naruto..." He started. She shook her head immediately.

"No...I haven't. He left too, shortly after you did...." For the first time in a long time, Sasuke actually looked...surprised.

"Is that so? And why'd he leave? To search for me?" He asked bluntly. Again, Sakura shook her head. Sasuke blinked, having expected a 'yes'.

"N-no...he left..to train..." Sasuke looked to the side, contemplating this. Sakura could tell the conversation was starting to turn to Naruto, and the sheer realization of this made her heart burn. "But that's not the point! Even if he didn't leave, it still wouldn't have been the same! Without you...everything...has lost meaning to me..." Her lip trembled and her arms fell limp onto the ground. "Nothing matters to me anymore. Not Naruto. Not Kakashi-sensei. Not even Konoha. Y-you were right." She looked up at him, her eyes stained with tears. "All I care about is you. That's all I've ever cared about. I don't even...care about being a ninja..." She paused, her own words sinking in like the tears falling from her face into the ground. "If you're not there...there's no point in being a shinobi..."

The two of them were silent for a moment, and a chilling wind rushed through the canyon. Sakura remained on her knees, looking down, and Sasuke moved his face forward, away from her. Both of them considered the words that had left Sakura's lips, and both of them thought the same thing. It was Sasuke that spoke first.

"So...to be with me, you'd even go so far as giving up on being a ninja?" He still didn't look back at her. Sakura slowly nodded her head.

"Y-yes..." She sighed. Sasuke shook his head, an actual smile, though invisible to Sakura from that angle, on his mouth.

"You're so stupid." His words were thrown back at her like a kunai. She looked up, surprised more than hurt. But from her angle, there was no way she could see Sasuke's expression, and therefore had no way to read the meaning behind that. Sasuke opened his mouth to continue, to reveal what he truly thought, but realized it would make no difference, and so started forward, started to leave. Sakura saw this, and she flew to her feet, starting at him.

"You're not going anywhere!!" She yelled, raising a fist, which held more power than it showed, ready to strike him the moment he came in range. But, the moment he came in range, she was in range too, and Sasuke easily sidestepped her punch, and used her own momentum to increase the damage of his elbow ramming into her ribs. A sickening crack was heard and Sakura gasped. But Sasuke didn't stop there. He pushed her off of his elbow and in the same motion, dealt a roundhouse kick that sent her skidding across the ground. Tears burst from Sakura's eyes, but she wasn't crying. It was a forced reaction to the pain. She sat there, in a crumpled heap for a long moment, gasping, coughing, spitting, bleeding, and crying. Even so, she didn't stay down for long. Just as Sasuke's calf muscles coiled to start the first jump out of the canyon, Sakura rose again.

"S-stop..." She gasped, and Sasuke paused. "I...I'm not letting...go.." Sasuke held no particular joy in hurting Sakura. It wasn't like Naruto, whom he could fight willingly and without concern, because they had that kind of relationship. With Sakura it was different. She wasn't strong enough to be a challenge for him, and he didn't particularly enjoy hurting girls anyway. They were always quick to cry, quick to show emotion. When he and Naruto fought, they had almost had fun. They both enjoyed the thrill of the fight, even if the reason was tearing them apart. With girls, especially Sakura, it wasn't like that. She wouldn't enjoy a minute of it, and that was no fun.

Sasuke glanced over at her. "You're...not worth it." He said, a hint of sadness in his voice. In a flash he was leaping up the canyon wall. Despite the pain, Sakura started moving forward, clenching her side to hold her broken rib cage together. Her aim was poor due to the tears, but luckily her target wasn't hard to hit. She raised her free fist, and with a cry of agonizing pain, slammed it into the canyon wall with every bit of strength she could find. The rock wall initially burst where her fist made contact, sending debris everywhere, and then a large series of cracks raced up the wall after Sasuke, and the entire thing began rumbling. Sasuke suddenly found that the wall he was climbing on was disappearing beneath him, and he made adjustments, moving swiftly from one falling chunk to the next, even as he fell down. When he was at the bottom of the canyon again, he stood upon an enormous pile of rubble, seemingly unscathed. Quickly, he glanced around for the one who had caused the rock slide, but there was no sign of her. He began to wonder if she had crushed herself under the debris just as a pebble slid and bounced down the pile from where he stood. In an instant, the rubble exploded beneath him, the fist of a deadly uppercut grazing his chin. Both of them stood on either side of the hole, Sakura nearly falling over from the pain in her chest, and Sasuke's eyes had become blood red as he stared wide-eyed at her. Perhaps...he had underestimated the girl.

"You've gotten stronger, Sakura." He said in a low voice, breathing slightly. He couldn't believe he had to use the Sharingan to fight her. If he hadn't used it just then, that uppercut would have broken his jaw into pieces.

"You-you're not going...any..." Sakura struggled to say, her eyes glaring defiantly at him, "I...I'm not..letting you...even if it's by force...you...you're coming home!" She choked out the last part, forcing a yell. Sasuke smirked.

"Now where have I heard that before?" The pink-haired girl clenched her teeth, and with unbelievable speed, was suddenly inches from his face. His Sharingan could see the chakra building up in her feet to do so, but he was so surprised by her speed, he hesitated, and because of that, a fist buried itself in his stomach. The force of it sent him deep into the partially destroyed canyon wall, and he rolled over in the new hole, his body screaming in pain. He couldn't help but bring his knees under him instinctively as he coughed up blood. He couldn't believe he had let himself get hit like that. Such power...if he got hit by another one of those, he'd be dead.

Sakura stood on top of the rocks, her fist still extended in the air from the punch, as she heaved in breaths. The damage to her ribs and the internal bleeding finally caught up with her and she suddenly bent over, blood spewing from her mouth. They both sat there, on their hands and knees, the pain keeping them from moving but causing their nerves to scream wildly at the same time. Eventually Sasuke forced himself to his feet, wiping his mouth and glaring darkly at Sakura's form. He had to end this quickly, or risk getting hit again. Sakura was so strong...how? He knew she was using concentrated chakra to make her attacks superhuman, but...where did she learn to do that? What kind of training had she gone through to attain this kind of power?

Movement from Sakura caught his attention and withdrew him from his thoughts. But she wasn't attacking. She hadn't even gotten up yet. He looked on as a strange green chakra flowed around her stomach. No...upon closer inspection...it was coming from her hand. She was holding her hand over her heart and...medical ninjutsu?! It was the same type of ability Kabuto had. But how...? He was so taken back by Sakura's improvement that he missed his chance to finish her while she was down. He watched as she rose again, her breathing returning to normal, and looked up at him.

"Sasuke...I'm not going to go easy on you! I don't want to...but I iwill/i do it in order to bring you back! I'll push you to within an inch of death...and then bring you back home just to heal you! If that's what it takes..." She let her voice trail off. Sasuke had gotten over his initial surprise by now, and found himself angry at Sakura's new abilities. That kind of power...where did she get it? He had to know!

Their battle raged on for a long while. Sasuke didn't aim to kill Sakura, but only because he wanted to know the source of her power...how she had obtained it. Sakura fought with all her might, forcing herself to give it her all against the one she loved, even if her heart was tearing in pieces on the inside. But she couldn't land any blows. After that first one, Sasuke concentrated almost entirely on dodging every one of her attacks. He knew the danger of getting hit now, and wasn't going to let it happen again. Sasuke also found it hard to pin the girl down. She wasn't able to dodge all of his attacks, but she made sure not to let herself be put into submission. And somewhere in the battle, Sakura's headband came off, causing her hair to flow loosely around her face. Eventually, Sakura's attacks held less and less power behind them as she ran out of chakra, and finally Sasuke found his chance. In one swift move he sheathed his sword and shoved his hand upward, grabbing Sakura around the neck and slamming her against the canyon wall.

Her hands automatically flew up and grabbed his arm, fighting to force him to release her, but it was no use. Tears welled in her eyes as she struggled for breath, and those same tears eventually rolled down her cheeks, off her chin, and onto Sasuke's hand. For a moment, Sasuke just stared at her as she squirmed. He almost let go at that point...just because of the look on her face. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't...want to cause her pain. This feeling only paused him for a moment though, and he pushed her against the wall harder as he got over it. Sakura fell limp, no longer having the strength to fight him, but her hands remained on his arm, if not by instinct alone.

"Tell me...Sakura..." Sasuke began, "Where did you learn these abilities? How did you obtain this power?" He let he hand ease up just enough to give her room to talk. She gasped, and coughed, her face tightening as she winced.

"What..." She forced out, "Y-you....jeal-jealous?" She retorted. Sasuke's anger flared up, and he squeezed her neck forcefully, pushing her against the wall hard. Her eyes flew open in surprise...and he felt her trachea collapse under his hand. She coughed surprisingly softly and a new stream of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. His eyes suddenly grew wide at that feeling...the feeling of the bone breaking under his hand, and he immediately released her. Sakura fell to the ground, her hands flying to her throat as she tried to breathe, but found it nearly impossible. From his angle, he could see the teardrops falling on the rock, and he felt his heart sink. He felt horrible...sick to his stomach...for hurting her like that. He backed away slowly, looking at his own hand in astonishment. It wasn't his hand...it couldn't be...

As Sakura coughed and choked and gasped horribly, Sasuke felt a shiver run through his spine. Wh-why? Why had he done that? Why did he feel like this about it? He...didn't care! No! He couldn't care! Caring was the opposite of hate! He lived only for revenge! He had lived his life thinking that! ... Then how...how come he felt so bad...? How come...he cared...? He had broken that bond! His hand flew to his chest, his heart suddenly aching. If he had broken it...why the hell did it hurt so much?!! Why did he...?

Wide-eyed, Sasuke continued to backed away, his eyes unable to tear themselves from Sakura's bent form. Even then, he felt tears starting to well up in his own eyes. He was so shocked at this...this feeling...! He retreated backwards, and suddenly turned and ran. He couldn't take it...

But something grabbed his arm.

"I....w-whon't...l-let..." Sakura stood there, grasping his arm, her head hanging limp, shrouding her face in pink, and her voice was horribly hoarse. Sasuke was too panicked, too on edge, though, because of what he was feeling...and by sheer instinct, reacted the way he had been trained to. In one swift movement he drove his sword through Sakura's abdomen.

She gasped in surprise from beneath her hair. But somehow...she stood firm. Tears splashed on the metal of the sword, and to Sasuke's horror, Sakura began moving closer to him, pushing the blade further through her. Sasuke was frozen, astonished at what he had done, and what Sakura was doing now. She finally lifted her face up to him, as it was only inches away from his own face now, and placed her arms around his neck. He couldn't believe it...Sakura was actually...smiling! Even through the tears, she smiled at him lovingly, as if nothing was wrong.

And then...she leaned in and kissed him.

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Sakura jerked awake from this dream, her hair plastered to her face even as she flew up to a sitting position. Her sheets were soaked with sweat, and the heart monitor was going nuts when she awoke. Slowly though, the beeping slowed down, as Sakura drew in deep breath after breath. She felt her eyes begin to water as she thought of the dream she just had. She had just relived what had happened to her only days earlier. A shiver ran through her spine from the memories and from the cold air of the room interacting with her hot body. She didn't have much time to think about what had just happened when the door to her room slammed open, light flooding the area.

"Sakura! Are you okay?!" Tsunade stood sillhouetted in the doorway, looking pretty out of breath, "The alarm went off because of the heart monitor," she continued as she made her way to the girl's bedside. Sakura smiled weakly up at her.

"I-I'm okay..." She paused, "Just...had a bad dream..." Tsunade's face relaxed with relief, and she smiled gently.

"Okay...good..." was all she said in response. Her hand moved gently to Sakura's face and she pulled the strands of hair across the girl's wet skin and out of the way. Sakura smiled, and let her do it. Finally, Tsunade went back to the door, looking back once with a smile before shutting out the light again with the closed passage. Sakura took another breath, and looked out her window at the moon. Her thoughts were full of Sasuke, and what he had said to her in that last confrontation. She smiled softly. iYou're...not worth it./i She understood those words now. He had meant she wasn't worth the pain he'd go through to fight her. He cared about her.

Sakura's thoughts then turned to Naruto, and all the people that had left with him. She wondered where they were at right now, what they were doing. Sleeping probably. Her mind also drifted to Hinata. It was such a beautiful night...she wondered if the shy girl had gotten her chance...she almost laughed at this point. iNaruto's a lucky guy.../i she thought.

As her mind flowed back to the dream she had just had, she felt her heart burn with guilt. She wanted more than anything to go after Sasuke too. She had gotten to him last time. She knew it. If she was there again, maybe...he'd finally change his mind. But more than that...she already missed him again. Especially now, that she saw a chance at bringing him back. A chance that he...loved her back...

The curtains in the room blew freely in the night breeze because of the open window, and the soft moonlight fell on the hospital room...and its empty bed.


	7. Chap 7: Now That I Know What I'm Without

Chapter 7

Now That I Know What I'm Without

"Well, that took you long enough. It's too late now." Kakashi sighed as he stared at the campfire burning in front of him. "I've already eaten and everything. What took you two so long?"

Naruto stumbled around the fire, finding a spot to place the rather large pile of timber he held. Hinata trailed behind him, consumed by her own thoughts, her hands empty. It seemed Naruto had offered to carry all of the firewood himself. The boy said nothing as he sat down across from Kakashi, reaching up and undoing his headband. Once it was off, he shook his hair a bit and partially unzipped the front of his jacket. Kakashi watched all of this, waiting for an answer. Finally, Naruto replied.

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei. See, there was this rainbow, and we just ihad/i to try and find the pot of gold at the end...you know..." What could've been a joke at Kakashi's own lame excuses for being late all the time held no actual humor. Naruto didn't crack a smile at all as he said it, and he only looked down afterwards, slightly frowning as he fell into his own thoughts. Kakashi looked at him strangely, registering that Naruto was in a bad mood, and that his comment could be considered an insult. He didn't take it personally though, and looked right when he heard Hinata taking a seat of her own, nearly on the opposite side of the fire as Naruto. She too, didn't seem to be in the mood for talking, and was also distracted by the wanderings of her own mind. With his one eye, Kakashi looked back and forth between the two a couple times, then sighed. He was about to say something when Chouji appeared from the darkness, carrying two pans of food.

"Here you go, guys. Managed to save some for ya." He said with a smile. He held out Naruto's dish for him to take, but Naruto took no notice, and after a moment, Chouji put it down next to him instead. When he held Hinata's out for her though, she was polite enough to take it, and tried to give him a weak smile in thanks. As Chouji sat down by the fire, in between Naruto and Hinata, the camp fell very silent. Awkwardly, Hinata began to start in on her meal, suddenly intensely focused on her food and her food alone. Naruto just sat, staring at the fire for a while, but eventually he picked up his pan too. After a while Kakashi couldn't stand the tension.

"So, you gonna tell me what's going on...or are we going to suffocate from the tension in the air?" He asked, looking from Naruto to Hinata. Chouji nodded.

"Yeah, what's up with you guys? Did something happen when you went to go get firewood?" Of course, Chouji hadn't meant something between Naruto and Hinata personally, but all the same, Hinata's head fell as her face reddened. Naruto rolled his eyes and laid on his back, thinking the same thing as the girl.

"Oh, something happened alright..." He muttered. His vocal response warranted further prodding from Kakashi.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here, and assume it was a bad thing?" Hinata's blush increased, but she said nothing. He was getting annoyed that the two of them were acting so immaturely, especially Naruto, and he wanted answers. "What happened, Naruto." He said solidly.

"Nothing....nothing at all..." He said, loads of hidden meaning obviously hidden behind his words. Hinata's face cooled and she glanced away sadly. Chouji looked at him confused, and Kakashi let out a breath.

"Now either something happened, or something didn't. It can't be both. I guess the real question is, does it matter? If something happened, will it effect our mission? That's what I should be asking. So...will it, Naruto?" His voice held a bit of a scolding tone, as if at the same time, he was telling Naruto to get over whatever mood he was in that would affect his performance. Naruto shook his head as he lay there.

"Nope...doesn't matter at all." He said coldly. Just after he said this, Hinata rose quietly, looking at Kakashi.

"Um...w-would it be alright if I went to bed now? I...I'm a bit tired." She asked softly. Kakashi took one last glance between her and Naruto.

"Sure, go ahead." He paused, standing up himself, "In fact, it's about time for everybody to sleep. It's late." He looked down at Naruto, who hadn't moved. "Except you, Naruto. You get first watch. I'll take second after that, 'til morning. Got it?" Still, Naruto didn't move.

"Whatever." Was all he said. Kakashi shook his head one more time before heading for his pack. Hinata was already laying down, and Chouji frowned once more at Naruto, confused, before heading for his own bag.

For a long time, Naruto didn't move. He just laid there, his hands cradling his head, gazing up at the stars. His mind was a mess after the events that had taken place when he and Hinata had left for firewood, and first watch was just the thing he needed to clean it up. Not that he would've slept much anyway.

....

The kiss didn't last long. No more than five or six seconds. It was Hinata who recoiled, her face inflamed, leaving Naruto confused. Hinata's mind had become a hive for thoughts and emotions. She didn't even know herself why she had pulled away. But, for some reason, that kiss...felt wrong. She had waited so long to enjoy that first kiss with Naruto, dreamt about it so many times before. So how come...when her wish finally came true, she rejected it? The answer to that was a mystery to her as well as Naruto. As her face reddened, and she brought her hands up under her chin, Naruto watched her, his brow tilted.

"Hinata? What's wrong?" He asked quietly. She didn't answer him at first, but instead reluctantly moved to leave the embrace. As she stood, she took a few steps forward and stopped, facing away from him. Naruto got up as well, and waited for her reply.

"I...I-I'm sorry...Naruto-kun..." She whispered softly, "It's just....too soon..."

"Too soon?" He sputtered, "How can that be? You've felt that way for years! I'd say it's about time!" A part of Hinata's mind agreed with him. But the majority of it did not, nor did her heart. It was true she had wanted him to kiss her for a long time, but...not like this...

"Th-that's just it..." She replied, "It w-was only m-me waiting...for that.." She turned slightly, and he could now see part of her face. His mouth fell open a little when he could see tears streaming from her eyes, sparkling in the moonlight. "I...I don't w-want you...I-I don't want th-that...until..you wa-want it too..." She murmured, her face reddening a little. Naruto was confused at first, not quite understanding Hinata's mumbling, but soon his brown furrowed.

"You...You think I didn't want it?! What kind of question is that? Of course I wanted it, or I wouldn't have idone/i it!" His somewhat angry outburst didn't help Hinata's tears at all, and she hid her face partially behind her hands.

"But...but you di-didn't want it...not the s-same w-way I did..." She cried, "You o-only did it..because..be-because you felt s-sorry for me!" He shook his head.

"Why would I feel sorry for you?! Why would I kiss you if I felt sorry for you? You're not making sense, Hinata!" His voice had raised considerably, which again, only mad Hinata cry more because she had made him mad at her.

"I...H-how could you not?!" She choked out, "L-look at me!! I...I'm a m-mess! *sniff* Th-this isn't...this isn't beautiful! Not at all! Wh-why would y-you *hic* want to k-kiss me...when I-I'm li-like th-this..." Her voice faded and she found herself feeling quite dizzy. She started to walk, stumbling to the point of having to lean against a tree. Naruto was caught off guard by what she said, and still couldn't find the words to reply...so she continued. "Y-you said you-yourself...y-you didn't know what...what it was before...*sniff* You said y-you were s-sorry for..for not realizing it s-sooner...then r-right after th-that...it's too soon...I-I don't want you to...to do that...unless...i-it means the s-same thing to-to you...as it does...to me...*sniff*" Naruto understood now, what she meant. And, she was right. He couldn't possibly feel the same way about her as she did about him. She didn't want him to kiss her, just because he knew that's what she wanted, what she needed, but because he wanted to too. She wanted him to feel the same way first, so it would mean something.

However, before Naruto had the chance to say anything more, to tell her how he felt about what she was telling him, Hinata couldn't take it anymore. By the time Naruto looked up from his thoughts, she was already gone, running desperately through the trees. She must have looked so stupid to him. So desperate....that she had to cry her eyes out in front of him for her to kiss her. She didn't want him to see her that way...she wanted it to be like the dreams she had...she wanted to escape from this nightmare.

A short while after Hinata left him, Naruto decided to start looking for firewood. That was what they were out there for, and he didn't want to disappoint two people in one night. As he collected it, he couldn't take his mind off of Hinata, and what she had said. He wanted to go after her...but it didn't feel right to do so. So, he busied himself with the task at hand, trying to forget about how upset he had just made the girl who loved him. Before he knew it, his arms were full of a large load of firewood. So, with a sigh, he started back to camp.

Hinata didn't make it very far after she ran off. She couldn't. The tears in her eyes made her almost blind, which was ironic for a Hyuuga. That, combined with her queasy stomach, and dizzying lightheadedness, made her stop running, and fall to the ground, sobbing. Why had she just done that? Isn't that what she wanted? She couldn't even understand why she had just done what she had done herself. When he kissed her, it felt so magical. She was so happy, to finally receive his attention, to finally know that he knew how she felt about him, that her emotions washed over her like a pleasant ocean wave. So why hadn't she just left it at that? Why did she have to go and ruin it? It was true, she didn't feel comfortable with Naruto kissing her unless he felt the same way, but still, he had ikissed/i her! How could she have possibly turned that down?!

Hinata's mind broke into pieces as her feelings clashed. Before she knew it, she had been on her hands and knees, crying, for almost an hour. When she finally realized this, she slowly stood up, her head rushing and almost making her fall over again upon doing so. She had forgotten all about what they had been sent out here to do in the first place, and wanted nothing more than to just go back to camp and sleep. Coincidentally, she found herself entering the camp shortly after Naruto did, and upon seeing his load of firewood, and remembering that's what they were supposed to be out there for, she hung her head in shame.

....

After the entire thing had played back through Naruto's mind again, he finally sat up. He let his eyes become lost in the flames for a while, as he considered how he could possibly fix this mess. Hinata was right. He knew that. But, just because he didn't like her the same way or the same amount didn't mean he didn't like her. He did. And as that fact passed through his mind, he felt a strange sort of ease flow through him. He did. He did like her! The way she was always watching him, her smile, her eyes, her blush, her laugh, the way she was always cheering him on, even when no one else did, telling him to do his best. The more things he thought about her, the more he realized how much he liked her. She was always so nice to him. And now...

Naruto peered past the flames, and made out the dim shape of Hinata's sleeping form. Her back was turned toward the fire as she slept, and he didn't know if that was on purpose, or if she just happened to have laid that way. As he stared at her, he started to feel really bad. He had practically yelled at her in the woods. And then when they got back, he had said things with meanings only she knew for the purpose of hurting her. He had been so...immature. And now the one person who had liked him through thick and thin when no one else did had been hurt because of him. Suddenly, Naruto felt strongly that he had to apologize to her. He crept around the fire and made his way towards the girl. But, when he made his way around to her other side, and saw her face, he stopped dead in his tracks.

A single tear, still wet, stained Hinata's cheek. Naruto was frozen as he realized that Hinata had cried herself to sleep. That's why she had turned away. Seeing her like that, he felt his own eyes start to water and a painful burning envelope his heart. Never again, he vowed silently, never again would she cry herself to sleep because of him. Slowly, he knelt down in front of her, his blue eyes sparkling and moist, and leaned over, using a single finger to gently wipe away that last tear on her face. As he did so, he noted that he also liked her face. Her skin was so soft, and...perfect. It almost glowed, even now. And the way her dark hair framed the gentle curve of her jaw line, and contrasted her fair skin color...and her eyes...that pale purple...almost like the moon...wait. Eyes?

"Mmmm...N-naruto-k-kun? Wha-what are y-you doing?" Naruto froze as Hinata slowly opened her eyes, awakening, and looked up at him, blushing a bit at his extended arm. He quickly pulled it away as Hinata slid her arm from under the blanket and touched her cheek where his hand had been. Embarrassed, and a bit touched, she quickly began rubbing any evidence of tears from her eyes, even though she knew Naruto already knew she had been crying. He didn't say anything, mostly because of the surprise of being caught like this so suddenly. As he fumbled over his words, Hinata remembered what had happened that evening, and she looked down, her lip trembling.

"What do...what do you want, Naruto-kun..." She asked, her voice poorly concealing her hurt feelings. Naruto looked down as well, knowing full well what he had done. When he had first come over there, he had been so sure of what he was going to say to her to make it all better, but now, confronted with Hinata in person, the words were completely jumbled in his head.

"Uh...I just...I just wanted to say...I'm sorry..." He said quietly. Hinata didn't look pacified.

"Why a-are you sorry? It doesn't m-matter, remember?" She retorted softly. Naruto just felt worse because of that, but he knew he deserved it.

"It does matter...Hinata..." He began, she looked up at him, pouting slightly. "I'm sorry I said those things at the campfire. I was just...confused...and I wasn't thinking straight. You were right." Hinata's lip curled, preparing for what he was going to say, "I don't want to say it, but I can't honestly say I feel the same way about you." Her head fell, nodding slightly, "But," He added. Her brow raised, but she kept her head down. "Just because I don't feel the same way now, doesn't mean I won't. I do like you, Hinata..." She looked up at him now, blushing slightly, "and...I guess I was just mad before, because I felt like you weren't even giving me a chance. Just because I don't feel the same way as you do, doesn't mean I won't." He repeated, "I...I want to have that chance, Hinata..." All time seemed to stop for Hinata as the next words formed on Naruto's lips.

"Hinata, I want to be with you." He said almost at a whisper. Somehow, those words caused her heart to jump even more than when he had kissed her. He...he wanted to be with her?! That meant....she couldn't even bring herself to think the words that described the relationship he was asking her to enter. She was blushing deeply now, unsure if she had really woken up at all, or if this was just some dream. This time, there were no doubts in her heart, no part of her told her this was wrong, that he didn't really mean it. He did. He really meant it.

Without answering, Hinata rose from her bedding, and began to walk towards the forest. Naruto watched her, confused. After she had went a ways, she turned to him, beckoning him with an outstretched hand.

"C-come with m-me...Naruto-kun...Be wi-with me..." She smiled at him, "I want...I have so-something for you...for...us..." Her voice was quiet, and her cheeks burned, but in the dead of the night, with nothing but the crackling fire as ambient noise, Naruto heard her words clearly. With a warm smile of his own, he got up and ran towards her, grabbing her hand as soon as it was close enough.


	8. Chapter 8: Without A Thought

Chapter 8

Without A Thought

"Again!" She commanded from her seat on a rock near the river. And again they went. Two flashes of white appeared from the forest like miniature tornadoes, both aimed at the blonde standing in the clearing. At the last moment, Ino jumped into the air, causing Kiba and Akamaru's Gatsuuga to smash into the ground needlessly. Instantly after that though, The two tornadoes changed direction, coming after Ino in the air. There was no way to dodge in the air...usually. But just as Ino started to fall, a small mass of purple formed underneath her foot, and she used that to launch off of, flipping neatly out of the way of the second attack. The swarm of purple then caught her foot again, and she began walking downward, Shino's bugs acting as steps beneath her feet and making it look like she was walking on air.

Kurenai watched performance, a small smile on her lips. They were doing extremely well together, especially for a mixed team that had been working together only since yesterday. That fact was precisely why Kurenai had insisted on this training exercise. Because Ino wasn't originally part of their squad, she was worried at how well she'd be able to work with the team. Kurenai hadn't been told exactly why Hinata was not in Team B, but she had assumed it was because of her Byakugan's powers. It made sense that her eyes would be more useful for finding Sasuke than tracking Akatsuki. And besides that, Ino seemed to be fitting in just fine with the two boys.

Even as Ino was walking down the path of bugs, Kiba didn't give up. He and Akamaru skidded to a stop on the ground for a second, and then they were off again. But again, Ino saw them coming, and leaped unbelievably high in the air, easily doing a back flip as she watched the boy and his dog miss terribly some feet below her. This time, Ino did some acrobatic spins and flips as she fell, and just before she landed, again her feet were caught by Shino's bugs, and the swarm carried her gently to the ground. The training exercise over, the three of them came closer together.

"Wow, Ino...that was great!" Kiba said enthusiastically. Ino laughed modestly.

"No..it's just a couple of things I picked up. I would've been dead without Shino's bugs." She smiled gratefully. Shino didn't move.

"Yes, you would have." He said simply, immodestly ending the string of compliments. Kiba gave Shino a look that actually wasn't that rare between the two of them, but then suddenly his eyes widened and his nose twitched slightly. Akamaru had already smelled it as well, and was looking nervously in the direction of the scent. Shino knew what was going on, but Ino was too new to know.

"Kiba? Wha-"

"Shhh.." He cut her off softly, taking a step back so that he was right next to Shino. "That way." He whispered, nodding in the direction he was facing. Shino didn't move.

"I know." Before Kiba had even given him the direction, Shino could tell from the way Akamaru was facing which was it was, and had already sent his bugs in to investigate. Three bugs, to be specific. In a moment, a small beetle returned and landed on Shino's uplifted finger. By this time, Kurenai had made her way over to them, having seen that something was wrong.

"So?" Kiba asked in an impatient whisper. The bug flew off Shino's finger and he let his arm fall, looking straight ahead.

"Akatsuki." Everyone else's eyes widened, and a small whimper could be heard from Akamaru. The dog was still facing the part of the forest the scent was coming from, and had started backing up slowly, his tail between his legs. Kiba looked at his companion, his brow furrowed in concern.

"This is bad.." He breathed. And as if that was his cue, a flash erupted from the foliage, becoming a silhouette again the sun high above them.

"Quick! Formation C!" Kurenai ordered, moving out of the way as quickly as she could.

"Right!" The three subordinates responded, just as the shadow came crashing down, causing the ground where Ino, Kiba, and Shino had just been to explode. Hidden in the resulting dust for a moment, his bandaged sharkskin sword, Samehada, buried deep in the ground, Kisame chuckled to himself.

As the dust cleared, the members of Team B waited in formation for the order from Kurenai. The pregnant jounin watched the dust carefully, waiting for it to clear just enough to ensure a successful attack, but not enough to allow the enemy to see what was going on very easily. She could make out parts of the man's silhouette through the dust, and watched him pull an object out of the ground and straighten.

"Now!" She cried. In a flash Kiba and Akamaru initiated the attack that was Formation C. When Kisame had landed, Kiba, Akamaru, Ino, and Shino, had quickly moved out of the way. But it wasn't just in some random direction. Each of the four of them represented one corner of a square that now surrounded their enemy. And when the order was given, Kiba and Akamaru, being opposite corners of that square, started a fearsome Gatsuuga onslaught. Again and again, the tornadoes of claws and teeth criss-crossed over each other, slamming into the enemy many times before the dust had even finished clearing. But just as the enemy became clearly visible, a sharp whine was heard, and Akamaru was sent sailing into the air, skidding to a stop on the ground. Kiba stopped his attack immediately, concerned for his dog, but a moment later, he leaped high into the air, his brow furrowed in anger.

"Take this!! bOokami Shikon!/b" He roared, as he brought both of his arms down on Kisame in a white flash. The power of Kiba's Wolf Fang struck the blue-skinned man head on, and the ground exploded again in a greater fashion than before, leaving behind a smouldering crater. This was the first stage of Formation C. As Kisame stumbled from the devastating attack, two long rips in his black cloak, stage two of Formation C began.

"bKonchuu Gufuu/b..." Came the muttered command from the third corner of the square. Like a swarm of locusts, an enormous mass of beetles seeped from the forest, blocking out the sun like a cloud. The bugs enveloped the entire area, and then the Insect Typhoon began. Hidden in that mass, the man with shark-like features was battered again and again by sweep after sweep of bugs...bugs with a thirst for chakra. After numerous strikes, stage three, the final stage, of Formation C began.

Because of the way it was set up, stage two led straight into stage three. Carried again by the bugs, the final corner of the square emerged from within their masses, her purple clothing doing well to partially camouflage her among the similarly colored beetles. Confused and disoriented, by the time Kisame saw Ino emerge inches from his eyes, it was too late.

"bShinranshin no jutsu!!/b" Ino shouted, holding up the hand sign that matched the shape of Formation C, her fingers forming a square.

But just as she began the Art of Mind Destruction, Ino was suddenly catapulted out of the mass of bugs, bouncing and sliding until she became a still heap on the ground. Realizing Formation C had failed, and feeling the intense amount of chakra building up within his bugs, Shino pulled his miniature army back just as Kisame unleashed a sweeping swing with his great sword. Kiba was at Akamaru's side now, and looked on in astonishment.

"That guy..." He whispered, "He's...not even breathing hard! How?!" It was true. Kisame stood, his sword on his shoulder, a low chortle coming from his throat, which then burst into an outright laugh. His breath wasn't bated at all, and the only sign that he had even been attacked at all was the two long slashes in the front and back of the left side of his cloak from Kiba's Wolf Fang.

"What luck, to run into some Konohagakure Shinobi like this. And here I thought today would be boring!" He laughed again as he turned to face Kurenai, his face becoming serious all of a sudden. "You would do well to run now, because if you stay, you're toast." He warned. Kurenai glanced at Ino, who had yet to get up from the ground, then at Akamaru, who was just barely standing. Kiba and Shino were the only ones left that were completely undamaged. That meant the best option was...

"No." Kurenai shook her head. "I've fought you before, Hoshigaki Kisame. I know your strengths, and I know your weaknesses. Besides that, it is our mission to seek out any remaining Akatsuki members, and destroy them." She smirked, "So, it would wise for you to run, rather than us. Not that we'd let you get away." Kisame's smile faded, and he shifted his blade on his shoulder a bit. He wasn't afraid, but he could see that this wasn't going to be as fun as he thought.

"Kiba! Shino! Maneuver six!" Kurenai called. Kiba blinked, surprised, but then nodded. Maneuver six actually hadn't been perfected yet, because it was nearly impossible to train with it effectively. But this was exactly the kind of situation they needed to test it out. Shino began moving backward, edging towards the forest. Kiba leaned down, petting Akamaru on the head.

"C'mon buddy...just one more move, okay? Can you do it?" Akamaru wagged his tail, though a bit more slowly than usual, and let out a soft bark. Kiba smiled, proud of his brave dog.

"bKonchuu Enkai/b..." Shino said silently. The bugs from before began to swarm together again, and more joined them as well. In one big wave they began covering the ground Kiba, Akamaru, and Kisame were standing on. Ebbing and flowing as the jutsu's name suggested, like an Insect Ocean, the bugs swallowed up Kiba and his canine, and began to swallow up Kisame. Then, the purple ocean began to swirl around and around, until it had become a whirlpool, making it almost impossible for Kisame to stand. Finally, like a desert sand trap, something began to emerge from the center of the whirlpool, right beneath Kisame's feet.

"bGAROGA!!/b" Came a roar from beneath Kisame's feet. And at that moment, an unbelievably enormous white cyclone emerged from within the bugs, hitting Kisame point blank. The Wolf Fang Over Fang attack, Kiba and Akamaru's ace attack and last resort, bore into the Akatsuki member's body like a nightmarish drill. As they climbed higher an higher in the air, somehow, Kisame got into the right position, and with a mighty swing, his Samehada smashed into the two-headed dog. The transformation came undone, and Kiba and Akamaru were sent spiraling down, hitting the ground brutally. His cloak in tatters, and a large wound in his chest, Kisame barely managed to land on his feet as he fell to the ground. His razor-like teeth clenched together in a painful grimace, he glared at Kurenai, who still stood some distance away.

"I was careless, letting myself get hit like that." He muttered, then louder, "I'm sick of your little formations and maneuvers! That's enough!!" He shouted as he started running at Kurenai, sword in hand. Kurenai put one foot behind her, preparing for his attack, but Shino would have none of that. With one move of his arm, he sent his bugs after Kisame. But, with one glance back and a hand sign, Kisame took Shino out with a shark-shaped mass of water from the river. The bSuikodan no Jutsu/b, or Shark Bomb, engulfed most of the bugs Shino had sent after the shark-like man, and then continued on to smash into the boy himself.

As Kisame approached Kurenai, he leaped into the air, raising his sword above his head with a yell. Kurenai started to move out of the way, but with her extra baggage, she wasn't fast enough...Kisame landed, and the sword came down...

But Samehada was stopped in its tracks...


	9. Chapter 9: Without A Voice

Chapter 9

Without a Voice

"Sorry I'm late, guys..." With Samehada inches from her face, Kurenai looked desperately towards the source of the words. Her mouth formed a smile, but it wasn't she that named the voice.

"Shikamaru!" Ino stumbled toward her teammate, her breathing sharp, and her hand clutching the bloody slash on her abdomen, but her lips stretched into a warm smile. Shikamaru stood near the bank of the river, parallel with Kisame, his arms held in the same position as Kisame was holding his sword, and a long black shadow connected their feet. bKagemane no Jutsu/b, The Art of Shadow Paralysis, had stopped Kisame's fierce attempt on Team 10's sensei. The lazy genius looked over at his blond teammate with a smirk.

"Looks like I'm just in time, eh?" Kisame's body shivered as he tried to fight off the control over his shadow, but it was no use. So, with gritted teeth and a furrowed brow, he slowly raised the blade up above his head once more, allowing Kurenai to move out of the way, and then Shikamaru made him throw the sword far across the river, and into the forest on the other side.

"Damn, brat....what is this?" The shark-man muttered angrily, still fighting against the control in vain. Shikamaru forced Kisame to start stepping backwards for a few steps, then they both turned around and moved farther away from the river. By then, Kiba and Shino had recovered, and were heading towards them. Ino came up to Shikamaru's side as he stopped.

"It's called, Shadow Possession. Am I to assume this is your first time experiencing it then?" Kisame's lip curled in indignation, "Heh, no wonder it was so easy to trap you. And now that I have you, it's over." Shikamaru glanced over, "Ino, if you would." She nodded and started moving forward. She took her hand, still dripping with blood, and placed it up against the other one in the same seal she had used before.

"Shinranshi-"

"bYou brats think it's over??!!/b" Kisame roared. Through sheer force of will he broke the Shadow Possession and knocked Ino away with one powerful sweep of his hand. He then shot forward and grabbed Shikamaru by his chuunin jacket, pulling him over and throwing him brutally into the ground. Standing over him, the member of Akatsuki laughed hilariously. "I've just been toying with you brats!! None of you have what it takes to take me down!" He boasted. Shikamaru reached for a kunai from his pouch, but Kisame immediately thwarted his effort with a terrifying kick into the boy's ribs, sending him rolling and bouncing across the ground. Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru were the first at his side, followed by Ino and Kurenai. By then, Shikamaru had made it to one knee, and was carefully watching their enemy.

"Shikamaru! Are you okay?" Ino asked, despite her own bruises and bleeding lacerations. He nodded.

"I'm fine."

"Shikamaru...how did you get here?" Kurenai asked, she never expected him to show up to the fight. He glanced at her.

"Godaime sent me. Soon as I got back too. It was a big pain, but I got here as fast as I could. She also gave me files on every remaining Akatsuki member for me to analyze." The other four shinobi looked at him, surprised. Shikamaru smiled knowingly.

"Listen carefully, I know how we're going to beat him..."

* * *

"They're getting closer, Sasuke. What're we going to do?" Karin asked. They were deep in the forest surrounding Konoha now, and all four members of Team Falcon were jumping swiftly through the branches. Sasuke didn't answer for a moment.

"Keep going."

"But they're coming straight for us! If they have a tracker, they will find us in no time! Shouldn't we tu-"

"Keep going!" The boy ordered a bit more fiercely. Karin was startled, and a bit hurt by his angry tone at her. But, before she looked away, her mouth a frown, she caught sight of Sasuke's face turning toward her. On it, she saw a smile spread. A smile! Sasuke almost _never_ smiled!

"Don't worry. I have a plan." He added, quelling any doubts Karin and the other two members may have had. If Sasuke had a plan, they could rest easy.

* * *

"Ah...!" Hinata gasped, her activated eyes widening. Naruto landed on the branch next to her for a moment before launching again.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" He asked. "Where are they?"

"Th-they're splitting up!" She announced. This caught Kakashi's attention, and he immediately stopped on a branch, as did the others as soon as they were able.

"Splitting up?" Naruto repeated in a question. Kakashi glanced the way Hinata had been looking, as if he could see for himself the sudden turn of events.

"Damnit....so they have sensed us..." He sighed, "I was afraid of that." He turned to the rest of the group, "Alright everyone. If they're splitting up, then we are too. Each of us will take one of them."

"I got Sasuke!" Naruto called, raising a clenched fist with a small smirk. Hinata couldn't help but smile a little at his enthusiasm.

"That's the plan." Kakashi pulled off his pack, digging through it and extracting the small radio set. "We'll use radios to stay in contact, the frequency is 214. Hinata, we're counting on you to guide us, alright?" By now all of them had gotten their own radio systems out. Hinata nodded as she reached up and clipped the mouthpiece to the inside of her headband. Her Byakugan still activated, Hinata used her finger to give the others a heading after the radios were in place.

"One is approximately 800 meters that way."

"I got em." Chouji replied, and launched himself in that direction.

"Another is about 540 meters that way, near the river." She pointed. Kakashi nodded and disappeared, leaving Naruto and Hinata.

"What about Sasuke?" He asked anxiously, making Hinata smile.

"We are headed that way." She replied, pointing almost directly behind the blond. He looked at her, confused.

"We?"

"For some reason, one of them is still with Sasuke." She answered, blushing a little, "It seems we'll be fighting together, Naruto-kun." The boy grinned.

"Alright! Let's go!!" He cheered, and the two of them vanished into the leaves.

* * *

"Are you sure, Sasuke?" The redhead asked, "Shouldn't I leave too?"

"No, Karin." Sasuke told her again, "I need you. It's part of the plan." The girl found herself blushing quite a bit at the words 'I need you.' She certainly wasn't complaining at getting some alone time with the boy, but she still didn't understand the reasoning behind it. But, she fell silent, and contently sat on the large rock next to Sasuke while they waited for their prey. Sasuke's senses were on high alert, listening for any sound or movement. From the sound of it, Naruto's group had someone with them that could sense the location of his group. His heart burned with anticipation of fighting the fox-boy.

He had split the group up because he knew that Naruto's group would sense that, and do the same. He wanted to fight Naruto himself. So silently, he willed Naruto to be the one that came after him, and not someone else. He could only trust that the tracker in the other team could sense precisely where Sasuke himself was, and as such ensure that Naruto is the one to go after him. As for his plans for Karin, he didn't want to underestimate the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails like last time, so just in case something happened, Karin's special ability would come in handy. Even if it meant that another person would probably show up with Naruto, as long as his old comrade appeared, Karin could handle the other person.

* * *

"Where is he, Hinata?" Chouji spoke into his radio receiver. There was a pause, but soon a soft voice replied.

"Turn a little more to your left." Hinata directed. Chouji did so. "Okay, your target has stopped moving. Keep going straight and you'll find him."

"Alright, thanks!" He replied cheerfully.

"You're welcome. Good luck, Chouji-kun!" The girl said nicely.

"What about mine, Hinata?" A calm, cool voice further drew Hinata's attention.

"Um...Yours hasn't moved either, Kakashi-sensei. He's still by the river, a little to the right."

"Got it." The jounin's voice crackled over the radio, and with that, Hinata's ear piece fell silent.

"Hinata-chan." Naruto said after another moment. Her kekkei genkai faded, Hinata looked ahead at the orange boy.

"Hm?" She answered.

"Do you really think it'll work?" Naruto asked. Hinata's mind went back to last night. Naruto and Hinata had trained all through Naruto's shift and again that morning on a particular move Hinata had come up with, specifically a combination move between the two of them that she had saved for when and if they ever were together. She still had trouble believing that in between the campfire last night and right now, Naruto had gone from her crush, to her full-fledged boyfriend. Her heart was still buzzing with that fact, while Naruto seemed as calm as ever. But that fact only made her like him more.

"Yes, I believe so." She answered solidly, smiling as she watched him. He glanced back and slowed a bit until the two of them were speeding through the trees side-by-side.

* * *

"So, you've arrived." The ground practically rumbled at the red-clad Akimichi boy landed on one knee, his fist causing the ground below it to crumble. As he stood, he cracked his knuckles in anticipation and examined his foe. It was a tall man, and a long cloak covered his entire body. His eyes seemed kind enough, but something about them made Chouji uneasy. As if there was death hiding just beneath the surface of those smiling eyes.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Juugo." The man greeted. "What's yours?"

"Akimichi Chouji." The boy replied. The formalities were friendly enough, but his fists remained clenched, ready for the first move.

"I'm sorry, Chouji," Juugo continued, smiling kindly, "But I'm going to have to kill you."

* * *

"That's Momochi Zabuza's sword. Don't tell me you went and robbed his grave." The hybrid sharingan wielder landed in the field, straightening casually. The young man Kakashi's red eye was staring at had white hair, his arms folded, several water bottles at his waist, and a confident smirk that failed to hide his unnaturally razor sharp teeth.

"A sword this great, like I was going to leave it laying around." He laughed a bit, "What an honor...Not only do I get to fight the great Copycat Ninja of Konoha, but I also get to fight the same guy Zabuza-senpai fought. Before I kill you, you simply have to tell me how I compare with the original owner of this sword." He then drew the weapon, holding it in front of him to emphasize his point. Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Will do...Suigetsu."

* * *

"Ah! They're here!" Karin suddenly cried out, her arm lifted, ending in an extended finger pointing in front of her. Sasuke followed her gesture just as a flash of orange and a flash of lavender appeared from the trees. Smiling, he stood up on the rock, and looked down upon his opponents.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" He greeted with mock sincerity, "Naruto."

The orange ninja didn't show any signs of anger, nor did he shout out at the boy on the rock. He stood firm, his arms at his side, staring up at the last remaining Uchiha. However, Hinata could see the anger boiling just underneath the surface. But the fact that he was controlling it, at least for the moment, made her heart warm with amazement at his strength. She too, had expected him to shout out, but he didn't...he only said one word.

"Sasuke."


	10. Chapter 10: Without A Soul

Chapter 10

Without a Soul

"So, what brings you all the way out here, dunce?" The raven-haired boy mocked. Naruto's fist tightened, but he still remained in control of his emotions. Hinata could practically drown in the tension in the air, but she kept her mouth shut as the two old comrades spoke. This was between Naruto and Sasuke. But, this time, she would be here for her blonde hero too. He wouldn't have to fight alone.

"Nothing much, I just heard some asswipe was on his way to attack Konoha. That wouldn't be you, would it?" Naruto's emotional strength held fast, and he even had enough control to retort Sasuke's taunts, something that surprised the Uchiha slightly.

"As a matter of fact, it is. Do you intend to try and stop me?" He asked, his hand shifting to rest on the handle of his sword.

"Heh..I don't have to try. I will!" Naruto barked back, and despite the tension between the two boys, Hinata couldn't help but smile at Naruto's bold courage. He was still controlling his anger, and he was even confidently boasting about his own abilities, while belittling Sasuke's ability at the same time! Such strength! Hinata felt her face redden as she admired him.

"Hmph...we'll see." Sasuke muttered, and in a flash he disappeared from the rock, reappearing directly in front of Naruto. Naruto gasped as a sword, laced with electric chakra, suddenly sprouted from his back. "You're so confident, moron, and yet you don't even face me yourself?" Sasuke noted as Naruto burst into a puff of smoke. Suddenly Sasuke felt the sharp point of a kunai being pressed against his back, held by the blonde Jinchuuriki. Sasuke looked backward at the other boy, his eyes red, and smirked.

"Feh...more doppelgangers?" He scoffed, spinning quickly and cutting the second fake into two puffs of smoke. And just as he did that, yet another orange-clad ninja appeared from the sky, sailing down towards him to deliver a devastating kick. Sasuke easily saw it though, and reached outward, stopping Naruto's foot midair with one hand, while the other brought the sword upward, skewering Naruto through the middle, causing him to disappear into a cloud as well. Sasuke was quickly getting fed up with Naruto's feints, and so he devised a new kind of strategy.

Even though they had been doppelgangers, the copies of her beloved Naruto-kun had all been beaten right before Hinata's eyes. She had seen her hero stabbed, sliced and skewered, and that alone was enough to make Hinata sick to her stomach. She back away slowly as the two of them fought, her eyes wide. Because of her shock, she failed to notice when Sasuke suddenly appeared behind her after beating the third clone. Just as quickly, she found his sword pressed against her neck as his arm wrapped around her waist, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"Who's your friend, Naruto?" Sasuke called out, ensuring that the blonde would hear him wherever he may be hiding. "What happened to Sakura? Or have you finally given up your pathetic dream of winning her heart?" Sasuke taunted. He thought the girl in the lavender coat looked kind of familiar, but couldn't place where he had seen her before.

Of course, it was one thing to taunt Naruto...but insulting him about his unrequitted love to the pink-haired girl quickly snapped his temper. With a roaring yell, 24 Narutos appeared from the surrounding forest, some running and some falling from the sky. The crowd quickly rushed at Sasuke, but this only made the Uchiha boy smile.

"Not so fast! You wouldn't want your precious Sakura replacement to get hurt would you? No more Doppelgangers, Naruto! Show yourself!!" Sasuke challenged. But the crowd kept charging. Hinata felt her face drain from Sasuke's slicing comment about her, and she felt her eyes start to water.

"Go ahead! Kill her! See if I care!" The Naruto herd yelled. Hinata bit her lip as a tear rolled down her cheek. She understood Sasuke was trying to get at Naruto....but why did Naruto have to say something so hurtful? Sasuke blinked in surprise and looked down at the girl. Disgusted with himself for not catching it before, he shoved his sword through her back, causing the transformed clone of Naruto to poof away just as the two dozen other Narutos reached him. Sasuke had been in this situation before though, over three years ago, in the Valley of the End. So even though wave after wave of fists and feet attempted to harm him, Sasuke danced around the mess of orange copies, taking out all 24 of them in a matter of seconds.

"Uzumaki Spike!!" A thunderous yell came from amidst the leftover smoke. Because of the fog from so many disappearing doppelgangers, Sasuke hadn't noticed that two extra Narutos had remained outside of the clash. Like an orange lightning bolt one of said clones shot through the smoke, a swirling ball of chakra in the palm of his outstretched arm. The two clones had jumped above the big cloud towards the end of the quick skirmish, and one of them had grabbed the other's ankles, spinning them both in several frontward flips before hurling the latter down at Sasuke. Rasengan in hand, Naruto hit Sasuke dead on with his startling new combo, and both of them crashed into the ground, spraying debris everywhere and quickly dissipating the smoke.

The Naruto that had thrown the other one before having disappeared, only one remained. As he rose to his feet, he pulled Sasuke up with him, his hand wrapped around the onyx-haired boy's neck. Naruto's teeth were clenched as was his other fist, as he glared at Sasuke. The boy only smirked at him, despite the hand at his throat.

"You still haven't told me where Sakura is, dunce. I thought she'd want to be here to help you try and 'stop' me..." Sasuke hissed from behind Naruto's hand. Naruto's nostrils flared and he choked Sasuke much harder.

"You know damn well where Sakura is, bastard..." Naruto growled, his voice low. Sasuke coughed slightly and sneered, showing his teeth.

"Heh...oh, that's right...I remember." His voice was strained, "How was the funeral?" Naruto immediately pulled his arm back and slugged his old comrade hard in the face. He then pulled his arm back again for another one, but suddenly he felt something cold pierce the back of his head. The doppelganger poofed away in a cloud of smoke, leaving Karin holding a kunai in the air.

"That's enough of that nonsense." She remarked, and Sasuke smiled at her, rubbing his neck a little as a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Doppelgangers are pointless Naruto! Don't you want to show me what you can really do? Or are you that scared?" Sasuke challenged, his voice seeping into the forest and the rest of the surrounding area, searching for the blonde and his lavender-clad companion. "Where are they, Karin." Sasuke asked softly. She looked around a bit.

"There are 14 of them all around us. 7 of the guy and 7 of the girl, I would guess." She informed in a whisper. Sasuke sighed.

"Then let's play some hide and seek." And immediately the two of them disappeared. Sasuke had to admit, it was exhilarating fighting Naruto. He was indeed much stronger than last time, and actually put up a challenge to the Uchiha boy. The sound of grunts and squeals popped up from the forest several times as Karin and Sasuke took out the doppelgangers of Naruto and Hinata. With his Sharingan, he could easily tell who was a clone and who was real if he did so much as glance at them. Eventually, he came upon the original indigo-haired kunoichi, and with a smile swiftly appeared behind her, holding her hostage the same way he had done before. He made sure she was real this time, and leaned in close to her ear.

"So tell me..." He breathed into her ear, "How does it feel...to be his isecond/i choice?" Hinata's breath froze in her lungs. Again, she knew he was just trying to get at her, but she still couldn't stop the lump from growing in her throat at his words, and her own doubts rose to the surface of her mind. Was it true? Was she really just a replacement Sakura to Naruto? Was she really his...second choice? Her heart faded at the very thought of this, and her eyes began to glisten again. "You didn't think he actually liked you, did you? He has only ever liked Sakura...but she loves me. So it appears he's finally realized this, and moved on to you. You're just his...backup girl." Sasuke hissed quietly to Hinata. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she found herself believing him. It all made sense to her. Naruto said himself that he didn't like her the same way she loved him. Did that mean he still loved Sakura?

Karin appeared at Sasuke's side, gasping for breath as she tried to tell him something. "Sasuke! Wa-" But it was too late.

"Shut the hell up!!" Naruto roared, flying at Sasuke from above. The maverick ninja's foot connected with Sasuke's face, and as Naruto soared over Hinata's head, Sasuke flew backwards, barely managing to catch himself as he slid along the ground.

"You don't know anything!! Don't tell her such stupid lies!!" Naruto yelled as he swiftly landed a punch on Sasuke's face. He kept pressing forward, pushing Sasuke backwards as he punched him repeatedly. Even though Sasuke had whispered his words to Hinata, Naruto had heard him through his radio transmitter and come running. Karin wasn't able to catch up to him in time to warn Sasuke before he attacked. The rage he felt from Sasuke's words had triggered the fox's chakra, and the marks of the demon had appeared on his features.

Finally, Sasuke managed to catch Naruto's fist before it reached his face, and as blood spilled out of his mouth, he glared at Naruto, still smirking slightly.

"Finally decided to get serious, huh?" Sasuke wiped at his mouth, smiling wider, "Then I'll stop toying with you."

As Naruto and Sasuke confronted each other, Karin tried to move in and help the Uchiha boy. But Hinata moved in the way, tears still staining her face. Her eyes burned with determination though, and her brow was furrowed. Karin placed a hand on her hip and laughed haughtily at her.

"Aww....poor little baby. Did that meanie Sasuke hurt your feelings?" She mocked concern, then her voice hardened, "If you're that insecure about your relationship with that orange kid, you don't deserve him anyway. Not that you'll ever see him alive again." She smirked evilly, just as a flash of lavender collided with her violently. Karin flew back, rolling once before recovering to her feet. She had no time to react though, as Hinata was on her again like lightning. Hinata wasn't the type of person to get mad easily. But after what this girl just said, fury certainly burned in Hinata's pale eyes.

The Hyuuga heiress bore down on the redhead with a seamless and fluid string of Juuken combo attacks. As Karin's chakra network was damaged, she had a lot of trouble getting a handle on herself enough to defend. By then she felt her limbs becoming numb, and was only able to manage a shoulder charge into Hinata to force her away from her. Karin stood limply, gasping in breaths as she held her left arm, which had completely numbed.

"Tch....Y-you really are ithat/i insecure, huh?" She huffed, sucking in breaths. Hinata stood only a few feet away, still in her basic fighting stance with her palm outstretched before her. One final tear escaped her left eye as she swiftly moved at the enemy once more.

"bIsamashii Kanrui/b!!" Hinata shouted as she spun on her heel, her body swinging low. She brought her palm upward until it collided with the bottom of Karin's rib cage, sending a Juuken-style shock through the girl's body. She was lifted upward into the air, her eyes wide with pain as Hinata reached up and took hold of one arm. The Hyuuga girl launched herself from the ground, pulling Karin's arm around her to make her spin in the air as well as help Hinata move above her. Facing down, her Byakugan activated, the shy kunoichi focused on Karin's body and began smashing her palms into her opponent with unbelievable speed. Before she was finally allowed to fall to the ground in a crumpled heap, The red-headed girl's body received eighty Juuken strikes, ending with one final, eighty-first, chakra-filled and anger-fueled smash that pushed her body into the ground.

Her palm still on Karin's stomach, Hinata fought to gasp in breaths. That move...Courageous Tears....was a move she had never used before. She had created it just then...in the midst of her hurt feelings and building rage. She barely understood where the attack had come from...she had just...done it. Finally, having regained some of her breath, Hinata tried to stand up. Her legs felt wobbly, and her head was light, but she managed to stay upright. She stared at the body of her enemy, and slowly raised a single fist, holding it straight out in front of her, much like a certain orange ninja had done during the Chuunin Exam Preliminaries. A small smile grew on her face, and soon her teeth were visible.

"I have changed..." She said almost confidently, but with hints of awe in her gentle voice. She was surprised herself to be able to admit that she ihad/i managed to get stronger...to change herself. And it was all because of the confidence her ramen-loving, fox-boy crush...no, boyfriend...gave her.


	11. Chapter 11: Like Open Doors

Chapter 11

Like Open Doors

"Guah!!" Chouji gasped as the mutated fist of Juugo slammed into his stomach yet again. The man was a monster, and Chouji could barely keep up with his moves.

"Are you ready to die yet?!" The tall man asked madly. The death and power Chouji had seen hidden behind his eyes was now fully revealed, and the Akimichi boy didn't know how he could manage to beat him. Perhaps he had taken on too much…perhaps this would be it for him…

"N-never! I've…b-barely just begun!" Chouji bluffed. He had to think of something fast…or else this would be the beginning of the end for him. He gritted his teeth and raised an enlarged arm to defend himself from yet another punishing blow from Juugo. It was too powerful though, and the Akimichi shinobi tumbled backwards, falling on his back. As he did so though, he pulled his feet up underneath his chin, and all at once his body became a large, spiked ball, spinning backwards and kicking up a storm of dust. The massive ball, with all that traction, shot away from the cursed man at a blinding speed, bearing left in order to come around and head towards its enemy.

"The ball thing? Come now…don't tell me that's the only trick you have!!" Juugo taunted, smiling wildly. Sickening cracking sounds erupted from his arm as it mutated and grew grotesquely. He held out the palm of this newly grown appendage before him, ready to catch the gyro that was coming at him at deadly speeds. However, Chouji already knew that someone like him wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

Jairo Tama Jishin!! Clawing its way out of the dust it had kicked up was a spiked ball ten times larger than what Juugo had expected. In a flash he leaped back to avoid being run down by it, but with it's added traction thanks to its size, the ball was traveling even faster than before. The size of a small mountain now, Chouji's rolled up body barreled into the cursed fugitive full force, pressing his body forcefully into the ground. As soon as it had crushed him, Chouji launched himself skyward, the ball seeming to shrink with its growing altitude. The second part of his attack, the Gyro Sphere Earthquake, began the moment the mighty sphere of spiked destruction smashed into the ground.

It was as if the earth itself had opened its hungry maw to swallow up the Akimichi shin obi's sphere form in its entirety. With it's size, the ball was unavoidable, and literally shook the ground in the area when it came down, giving the attack its name. Once the dust had settled, the enormous spiked ball was two-thirds buried into the surface of the earth, Juugo buried even deeper beneath it.

"……..k-kill…" An almost demonic voice creeped from beneath the giant human boulder. "….k-kill…I'll…kill…." The voice seemed to fade for a moment, the entire area falling silent once more. But just as suddenly as it faded, it came back, stronger than ever, and Chouji's body began to shake, outside of his own control. "I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Chouji could feel the horribly enormous amount of chakra building beneath him, but before he could do anything about it, he was suddenly airborne again. He let his body revert back to it's normal form and size as he flew through the air. He landed on the ground with a brutal thud and he was coughing as he managed to pull himself to his feet. He stared through wincing eyes at the animal before him. Juugo, as he knew him, was no more. The black, almost disease-looking curse mark had spread over his entire body. His eyes shined with a sinister and dark power as his wild grin spread across his face. His body had twisted and mutated to an absolutely sickening form, black spikes and bumps growing everywhere, his arms six times the size they used to be, and his spine protruding backwards to form an almost reptile-like ridge.

"Haaaa….haaaaahhh…." The creature called Juugo breathed hoarsely, "Kuhaaaaahahahahahahahaaaa!!" His breathing grew into a gradually maniacal laugh. "Kill! I'll kill you!! Hahahahahahahaha!!" The fact that he seemed to find Chouji's death funny only made the boy shiver slightly. Not good…that last attack took about all of my chakra… The Akimichi boy thought to himself, his teeth clenching as he fought off the pain of his now broken ribs. Looks like that's the only way… Slowly, he reached back to his tool pouch, digging in it to withdraw a single, small plastic case. Inside of it a deep black ball about the size of his thumb was visible. Suddenly he felt his heart skip a beat and he looked up to see the monstrous form of Juugo standing only inches away.

"DIE!!" The madman shouted in his face, and in an instant Chouji was utterly blown away as one giant fist planted itself into his chest, shattering much of the sternum and central area of his ribs. As he flew back, the capsule he was holding was thrown from his hands from the impact, falling down amongst the many cracks in the ground from Chouji's earlier, earth-smashing attack. The boy rolled, not on purpose this time, brutally until he finally smacked up against an outcropped slab of earth and came to a stop, his body laying motionless.

"Hahahaaahhahahaahahaha!!!" Juugo cackled again, launching himself towards where Chouji had landed. "You're dead! You're deaaaad!! Hahaaha!!" He gloated, kicking one of his mutated feet into Chouji's side to both injure and turn him over. The boy's breaths were hollow and strained, and he seemed barely conscious. But despite that, for no apparent reason at all, a slow smirk began to crawl across his face. Juugo noticed this, and his head tilted to one side curiously. "What's this? A smile?! Hahaha!! Are you enjoying your death too?!! Haaaahahhahaha!!" In response, Chouji's hand slowly slid from its place on his chest, rolling out to be splayed on the ground, revealing a rectangular piece of paper stuck to his chest where his hand had been. The cursed man noticed this, but by then it was already too late.

_**KABOOOOOM!!**_

The explosion from the tag consumed both of them in its fiery blaze. When the dust finally cleared some time later, there was a large crater in the ground. Juugo's mangled body was laying several hundred feet away, while Chouji's had been forced deeper into the ground. Slowly, as the eerie wind that flowed through the trees blew through the site of destruction, the black, twisted limbs of Juugo's mutated body began to twitch. Eventually, this twitching grew to movement, and Juugo began to turn over, forcing himself to his feet. At the same time, Chouji, who had passed out from the force of the blast, had started to awaken again. He groaned in pain as his entire body felt broken and numb. He shifted a little, in an attempt to roll over, but soon found that to be impossible in his state. After a few moments of trying, a dark shadow cast itself across him. It was Juugo. The man was standing only feet away from the Akimichi boy, heaving struggled breaths in and out of his body. One of his arms appeared to be completely gone, while blood could be seen dripping down and off his legs from the large wound in his chest.

"D-die…K-kill…I…I will……I'll…k--" Juugo gasped, somehow still smiling madly. Chouji squinted up at him, his own breathing struggling, unable to move at all. H-how…I…I'm done…this is it… He thought miserably, sure that Juugo would kill him with one ending blow now.

I…..failed…

But after a few moments, Chouji noticed that the man known as Juugo hadn't moved. Struggling to again open his eyes, the boy peered up at him. Silhouetted in the late afternoon sun, the black, cursed body of Juugo was rigid, his eyes blankly staring down at Chouji. As the wind picked up, the mangled and broken body of the insane and cursed fugitive began to make cracking sounded, and all at once he crumbled and deteriorated into a pile of dust, his ashes blowing away with the wind.

Juugo was dead.


	12. Chapter 12: The Nothing I've Become

Chapter 12

The Nothing I've Become

Chouji didn't have the energy to move anywhere for a good while after his fight with Juugo. He still couldn't understand how he had managed to survive against such a monster. He should be dead right now…he thought grimly. But by some turn of luck, he wasn't. He felt like he was dead, sure, but as he pulled in struggled breath after breath, his ribs stinging with intense pain and making sickening popping noises if he inflated his lungs too much, he knew that somehow….he had won.

As his body came to terms with the pain, the Akimichi boy began trying to get up. He shifted and turned but every attempt only left him with clenched teeth and muttered curses slipping from under his breath. Eventually, as he lay there with a shaking chest and a rapidly beating heart pounding in his ears, he was forced to reach down and dig into his ninja pouch. Chouji had always hated medicine, ever since he was a child, because it always tasted so bad. But now, he had no choice. He couldn't get up on his own, so he resorted to pulling out a small military pellet. The sphere was a bit larger than the regular standard of the pellets that were usually seen, and unlike the standard issue, this kind tasted absolutely horrible. The vile bitterness of this medicine was an understatement to its potency, however, and at this point, he'd need the boost just to survive.

With a groan and a wince, the Akimichi boy popped the pill in his mouth, crunching it once in half in his mouth before swallowing the pieces, fighting down a gag. He shifted over and forced himself from the ground, feeling the medicine's effects already coursing through his veins. There was no sign of the man he had been fighting, which Chouji was still confused about. He only knew a little bit about the curse marks, and decided that something so horrible must have simply eaten away at Juugo's body until Juugo pushed himself too far and relied on the curse too much to the point where his body disintegrated. Glad that he was able to accomplish the individual task beset upon him, he sighed and looked about at the destruction surrounding him from his battle. If all of the members of Sasuke's group were this strong, he couldn't help but wonder how the others were faring.

After another breath, he took a step in the direction of Kakashi's location, since it was the closest. His arm circled around his beaten and broken chest, he didn't know how much he could really help, but he knew he had to try.

-------------------------------------------

"Tsunade-sama, they're here." Shizune informed politely as she stood in front of the Hokage's desk. The blonde woman's brown eyes brightened quite a bit at this news. She slapped her hand on her desk, satisfied, and stood from her chair.

"About time! Hurry and bring them in!" Shizune nodded understandingly and turned to open the door. However, as her hand approached the handle, the door burst open. Storming into the room past a surprised Shizune was a tall, strong-looking man with well-managed hair, fierce eyes, and a green, full-body jumpsuit.

"Hokage-sama! Tell me this isn't true!!" Following closely behind the man was a younger boy who could've been the man's clone; having his own green jumpsuit and similarly cut hair. Behind him, though not following quite as closely, approached two more ninja, a boy and a girl.

"You told them?" Tsunade asked, giving Shizune an annoyed look. The assistant smiled back at her nervously.

"U-um...well they kind of drew it out of me..." She answered timidly, a hint of blush playing on her cheeks as she glanced at the man who burst in first. He gave her a shining smile in return.

Tsunade sighed, "I'm afraid it is, Gai." The man nodded and looked down grimly.

"I feared as much..." Suddenly, the younger clone of the man approached the desk, slamming his hands on the table.

"Please say it isn't so, Hokage-sama!!" He cried, "Sakura-san can't be hurt so badly! She just can't be!!" The boy whimpered, and Tsunade nodded sadly back at him.

"She was…" She answered, glancing away, "There are strong ninja out there, Lee, stronger than you, stronger than Sakura, even stronger than me. Sakura tried to take on more than she could handle." Rock Lee's normally strong and ferocious eyes were soft and torn.

"Then where is she now?!" He asked frantically, "Is she okay??" The third girl in the room, a brunette with her hair tied tightly into two buns and a kind look in her eyes stepped forward, placing a hand on Rock Lee's shoulder gently.

"Lee, I'm sure she's fine. She's probably in the hospital right now, right?" She looked up at Tsunade at her question, then back at Lee. "We'll go visit her, okay?" Tenten offered, trying to comfort the normally strong-willed Taijutsu specialist.

"Actually…" Tsunade replied grimly, "She's not." The entire group looked at the Hokage, while Shizune just gazed at the floor painfully. Tsunade continued,

"Sakura disappeared from the hospital last night. Her injuries were still at a dangerous level though, and what's worse is we fear that she's gone after Naruto's group. That's why I called you all in here so soon after your last mission. This situation is getting urgent." Team Gai looked confused by this news, and the branch member of the Hyuuga Clan, a Juuken prodigy named Neji, spoke up first.

"What situation? Where has Naruto gone? Where has everyone gone?" Tenten nodded.

"Yeah, when we got back we noticed that no one was here…we just thought they were all on missions." Tsunade leaned back tiredly in her seat, rubbing her forehead.

"Well, in a way they are." She looked to Shizune, "If you would, Shizune, since you've already told them so much." She gave her assistant another expected look, and she nodded, looking ashamed again.

"A few days ago, " Shizune started, thumbing through her clipboard, "After Haruno Sakura returned to Konoha badly injured, she carried with her information on a Level A threat to the safety of the Leaf Village. Uchiha Sasuke, a fugitive rogue ninja of Konoha and former member of Team number seven, labeled a class S enemy in the Bingo book, plans to return to Konoha with a team he's pulled together…and destroy it. So, yesterday, two teams were formed to handle the imposing threat. Team A consisted of Hatake Kakashi; Jounin, Uzumaki Naruto; Genin, Akimishi Chouji; Chuunin, and Hyuuga Hinata; Chuunin." Shizune paused then, touching her thumb to her tongue and turned to the next page on her clipboard. Team Gai continued to stare at her, their eyes wide. "Team A's mission was to intercept Sasuke's group, and stop them. Alternatively, Team B consisted of Yuhi Kurenai; Jounin, Inuzuka Kiba; Chuunin, Aburame Shino; Chuunin, and Yamanaka Ino; Chuunin. Their mission was to begin searching for the remaining members of Akatsuki that are known to still be alive, and eliminate any members they can find. Also, last night, Nara Shikamaru was sent to track down Team B and assist them. He left immediately after returning from the mission he was on, much like you will be." Shizune finished her report with a deep breath, looking up and over at Tsunade now.

"Thanks, Shizune." She told her with a nod, "So that's the situation so far. We don't know how things are looking now, but as I said, we think that Sakura has gone after them; Team A to be specific for obvious reasons. The missions these teams have been assigned to are ranked to be at least S Class or above. Obviously, the rankings would call for more forces under normal circumstances. But we're not in normal circumstances. Our forces are already spread thin enough, so I'm sending them backup as it becomes available. That's where your team comes in, Gai. Is everyone caught up so far?" She asked, looking about to the ninja gathered before her. They all nodded promptly, still wide-eyed, but now looking more worried than anything.

"These missions are critical to the safety of Konohagakure. If they fail, we all die. Is that understood?" The Fifth Hokage asked seriously, and the team gathered before her nodded quietly. Rock Lee straightened and brought his hand up to his forehead in a firm salute.

"Understood, Hokage-sama! We won't fail! That's a promise!!" He assured, and Tsunade could only smile faintly.

"Alright then, here are your assignments: " She started, looking at them all with firm eyes. "Since you're the only backup we have at this point, we'll have to split you up in order to help both Team A and B. Rock Lee, Neji, " Her gaze focused on Lee, then Neji in turn. "You two are to track down Sakura. Though she's a medical ninja, her injuries aren't easily healed, and she's already low on chakra to start with. She most likely won't have been able to get far. It's important that you find her and bring her back here to finish healing properly. You'll receive further orders when you bring her back, understood?" She explained and Rock Lee's face brightened happily.

"It will be an honor to rescue Sakura-san, Hokage-sama!" Lee replied enthusiastically, pumping his fist in the air. Tsunade nodded, she knew that if she hadn't assigned Rock Lee to getting Sakura, he would've done it anyway.

"Tenten, Gai, " Tsunade started again, looking at the remaining two. "You will each be sent to assist either Team A, or Team B. The Jounins leading each group should fill you in on any updates when you get there. Tenten, you'll be sent after Team B." Tsunade looked over at Gai, "As for you, Gai, you'll be tracking down Team A. Team B isn't too far from here, and Shikamaru sent coordinates to us in his last report. Kakashi also sent us a location recently, so neither of them should be too hard to find. As for Sakura, Neji's Byakugan can take care of that. Is everyone clear about what you must do?" She asked once more, making sure that the ninja understood their instructions. The group nodded again, looking a bit nervous, but also very serious.

"One more thing, " Tsunade added, leaning forward to place on her elbows on the desk, intertwining her fingers in front of her nose as she looked at them all with dire seriousness. "As I said, this mission can mean the destruction or salvation of Konoha, the home we all know and love. But don't be afraid. I have faith in all of you, just as I have faith in those I've already sent. In no other generation have I seen more talent than yours. You young ninja will be the ones to safely carry on the traditions and responsibilities of Konoha when all of us older folk have passed on." This made the three younger ninja look a bit nervous, but Tsunade just smiled, "And I could not feel safer saying that. Konoha will be in safe hands, that's what I believe. You all and your peers have all been trained and have grown under the guidance of the most talented ninja of their generation. And don't forget that just as they've been with you so far, your instructors will be with you to fight this fight too. I am confident in all of you." She finished with a strong smile, leaning back again.

The looks on the faces of Team Gai at that point could be described in one word: Determined. All of the fear or doubt the ninja had been feeling to that point was completely gone. Their eyes shined brightly with courage, and all at once the group saluted their Hokage, smiling broadly.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" They responded proudly, and both Tsunade and Shizune smiled warmly at them.

"Alright. Then you're dismissed." She said firmly back to them, "Good luck to all of you."


End file.
